Skull & Crossbones
by THAT girl who
Summary: She's never known family, rules, or boundaries until she meets Charlie Swan, Chief of police — oh, and he's her new FOSTER PARENT. She can run, but she can't hide. See complete summary inside. Action/Adventure/Romance/Drama, ExB, Vampires/Humans, OCC
1. SEVENTEEN

**Bella Crossbones, foster child for life, doesn't know she's carrying the very gene that could end it all for her. And unlucky for her, Charlie Swan, armed with a military background and chief of police status, thinks he can protect this teenager from her own doom. It's a hard task though once he learns that this wild child has an interest in death defying hobbies when she thinks no one is watching. **

**That's just it…no one _is_ watching. **

**Insomnia, window escapes, dirt-bikes, broken bones, and the thrill of getting caught provide readers with the greatest adventure story ever told.**

**Trust me, you've never seen _this_ side of Forks until now...**

**"I promise"**

**-love, THAT girl who**

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie __Meyer __owns __her __characters __of__Twilight__, __I'm just giving them a night out._

**Chapter 1: SEVENTEEN**

Maybe on my birthday you'd think someone would acknowledge me or something. But no. Seventeen isn't that big. It's not _eighteen_.

I stared straight ahead at the TV, not really catching the flying images while I imagined what it must feel like to have someone in your life that gave a shit. But I wouldn't know. And as much as I wanted to ponder this deep thought a little longer on the night of my birth, my foster brother just got home, and he decided to be a little _too_observant tonight.

Unlucky me.

"Dad!" James yelled when he entered through the garage door and came into the house. "Someone touched my four-wheeler again—it's covered in mud and it's shot to shit!"

I was already a deer caught in head lights. I swallowed hard and quickly bolted from the couch, only to stand paralyzed in the middle of the den, frantic. Outside, the window showed me a possible escape route where my twelve-speed bicycle lied on its side. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night either—I felt the heat and I wasn't even in the kitchen, so they say.

Alec, my third foster parent this year, had a softer tone than James, but he still knew how to put the pedal to the metal when he wanted to. "What?" he questioned, his voice actually sounding shocked. Alec wasn't raised to see girls as capable of causing havoc, let alone sitting anywhere that wasn't the backseat of something. The fact that I could drive ATVs and tear any track apart was seen as fictional to him.

I heard movement in the kitchen. The sound of a chair scraping across the hardwood only motivated me to realize staying where I was wouldn't help my cause. I headed for the front door, determined to fly under the radar.

"I'm going to kill her!" James yelled, a crash coming from the kitchen that sounded like glass breaking into a million pieces. Somehow, that would be my fault later, if there was a later.

I only had my hand on the doorknob for half a second before two pairs of footsteps crowded me, and a vice grip flipped me around to face a set of accusing eyes. I hesitated, looking to the ground for solace. Just tile stared back at me.

"You're _kidding_ me Bella!" James roared, punching his fist into the drywall that I was suddenly shoved up against.

"James, that's enough—" Alec's voice cut off, too late as usual.

I felt the heat of the hit first before my legs gave out. After, it was just a gnawing throb. It hurt, but I didn't show it. I shook my head at him. "_Hitting__a__girl_," I mumbled, leaning my head back against the wall. I looked at him through one eye. "That's really charming. I see why you get _all_the ladies." I pulled my knee up to rest my arm on, waiting for my stupid remark to bring about a stupid reaction; it did, so fast that I didn't even see the fist flying. I just felt the flesh on my jaw stretch down, a weird angle that split my lip in the corner. This blow had an impact, throwing me onto my side before my head hit the opposite wall. If there had of been more of an audience, this in particular scene would have drawn gasps. That's at least what I thought while I stared at his feet, the world horizontal and my lips pooling in blood.

"Are you done now?" Alec asked his son, his tone trying to sound concerned. But I saw through it—it was the same song and dance every so often, and as much as Alec tried to come off as a good foster parent, it was all about the money he received in the end. He didn't care for me, and luckily, I didn't care for him; it was an equation with the perfect end result of feelings never being hurt.

James on the other hand was the real bastard. "It's dented—the whole right side! I told you she couldn't keep her hands off my shit!" James' voice was getting angrier and angrier with every word that left his mouth. And while he shouted, I worked my way up into a standing position. I held onto the wall for support, noticing it had a dent where my head slammed into it.

Alec looked at me after shushing his asshole twenty-year old son, concern covering his face.

I waited for it. _3__…__2__…__1__…_

"Bella, is this true? Did you crash his ATV?"

I decided to take my time to answer, wiping my lip on my flannel shirt, which only provoked James a little more. After a few more seconds of silence, I gave in, sort of. "I might have—" James dodged at me before I could even have the delight of finishing, but this time, Alec held him back. Maybe because he knew he'd kill me.

"Relax, I'll handle this," Alec told James, shoving him into the kitchen. I heard the back door open and slam, releasing the wild animal out into its natural habitat. Alec came back into the entrance way, his face looking like he was off in his own head, possibly deliberating with third world leaders. He paced for a few seconds, his hand every once in a while touching the back of his neck, until finally, he stopped and looked directly at me. He gave me the news at point blank, which I sort of respected. "I gotta let you go, Bella."

They always do though, which confirmed my thoughts on never knowing what it feels like to belong. But instead of showing the wound that I'm not sure even existed with this family, I avoided looking Alec in the eye, realizing what this all meant. "I didn't mean to ruin his bike," I said truthfully, even though my one last attempt was probably useless at this point.

It was. When I looked up, he shrugged unapologetically, and still said, "Sorry Bella."

A defeated feeling ran through my body, which I tried to hide with a half smile. Of course, my eyes couldn't hold the act, and I looked like the same deer caught in the headlights just ten minutes ago. "It's ok," I told him, even though I knew those would be my famous last words.

They always are. I just didn't think they'd be on my birthday.

Nah.

-x-


	2. NEW HOME

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 2: NEW HOME**

I had never been fostered by a single parent before. And if _that _wasn't new enough, he was a cop.

_A cop_.

My life was about to get a _whole_ lot more strict.

I was nervous getting off the plane, and especially nervous when no one came to pick me up.

"Maim, can I help you find something?" A woman with a security vest asked me after watching me stare into space for fifteen minutes straight.

I pulled my military bag tighter around my shoulder. "Ugh, no—thanks, ugh, though."

A moment after, a tall man with an intimidating gun on his hip rushed into the entrance, and I knew it was _him_ immediately when he ran up to the control panel and stared at the screen for flight drop-offs. He was flustered, and for some reason, his disorganization gave me hope. Maybe there was a God after all.

After gazing at him for a moment longer, he finally turned his head and looked at me with a question mark spreading across his face. But somehow, he knew the little lost girl was now his lost case, and that's probably why he walked up to me and asked me point blank, "Bella?"

I sighed. "Yup."

"I'm Charlie," he said, exhaling after. "Sorry I'm late. I was on a call."

"You're a cop." The evidence wasn't fabricated. He was a legit, gun holding cop. I was screwed. He had the intimidation factor down to the nines—chest out, shoulders square, back straight—and the moustache was there to make him even more of a cliché. And then there was me, poor little Bella, shrivelled up in her beaten down body, beaten in shoes, and broken in "hand-me-overs", as I never stayed in one place long enough to receive hand-me-downs.

"No, I'm Chief of police," he informed me with a tone I already hated.

"A cop."

"A police officer."

"Is there a difference?"

"That's enough questions."

"You're supposed to ask questions to get to know each other," I said lamely, already seeing the red behind his eyes. After ten seconds, I had already figured out his weak point—listening to twat talk.

"That's not how I operate—this your only bag?" He asked, pointing the one over my shoulder. He was all business.

"Yup."

"Yes?"

"Yeah."

"Yes?"

"_Yes,_" I said through gritted teeth.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"You're welcome, you mean."

"No."

"_Yes._"

"Fine, _you're welcome_."

He held out his hand. "Let me get that bag for you."

I shook my head. "I got it, _thank you_."

"I insist," he said, touching the strap.

I pulled away that time, a glare forming on my bruised face.

He gave up. "Fine. You're obviously not used to be taken care of." His eyes lingered on the cut near my lip.

"Yup."

He didn't correct me. Instead, he headed towards the doors, and I followed behind. Hopefully he wasn't _always_ going to be two steps ahead of me.

Outside, rain came down in sheets, and then he dropped his keys in a puddle, leaving us out in the open even longer. I stared blankly into the distance, where after thirty meters of pavement, the tallest green trees started to take over.

Forks, Washington—I hated it already.

-x-


	3. FOSTER PERSON

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 3:** **FOSTER PERSON**

In Phoenix, the land of bone dry space, it was customary to be thankful for rain.

Not me. Rain meant mud, mud meant messes, and messes were never a good thing if you were trying to keep an ATV that wasn't yours looking untouched.

That was my downfall a few nights ago. I just couldn't get the mud out of the crevices around the tires, and James let me have it. Or maybe it was the large crack and huge dent across the side of the frame—who cares now, though. Whatever the case, rain had put a damper on things, and I wasn't ever sure when the sun was coming out. And as long as I was staying under a police officer's roof, I wouldn't be seeing the sun for a long time.

One good thing came out of it though—he had a fucking huge house.

"This is it?" I asked when we pulled up into the driveway, where a huge front lawn separated two sides of forest, and a two-story house with grey brick foundation, dark wood paneling, and black shutters sat happily. The yard looked freshly clipped and cleaned, each bed of flowers planted without a twig out of place. It didn't match the messy moss stricken, murky forests around the property, but instead, looked quite welcoming.

And strangely, I _did_ feel welcomed.

"This is home," he said when he stopped the police SUV, turning off the engine after putting the gear in park. I followed his lead when he opened his door and got out, and even allowed him to carry my bag up to the house, only because I was too shocked at how my luck had finally changed. _Never_ had I been given a place like this to live. And when he opened the door, it just got better; dark cherry floors, warmly painted walls, and a curved staircase with the classic dramatic railing were the sites I took in first.

I held my jaw tightly closed, determined not to look out of place, even though I felt it.

"Come on." Charlie dropped his keys on a table and hung up his jacket in a coat closet near the entrance, taking mine and my bag with it, but he kept his gun on his hip while he led me to the kitchen. There, my breath was taken away. Large black and navy checkered tile covered the huge kitchen, where an island with a sink and huge faucet sat in the middle. The cabinets matched the cherry wood that continued throughout the house, and all the appliances matched in matte silvers.

My eyes roamed while he opened the fridge and took out two pops, handing me one, but I was too afraid I'd disturb something if I pulled out a seat from the island like he did and sat on it. Even the damn microwave intimidated me—and there was a bread box!

"You look scared," he said, chuckling to himself after taking a long swig of pop.

I placed the pop on the island and decided it would be safe just to lean on. "Your home is really nice. Like really, _really_ nice."

His reaction was a little smug though. He shrugged. "A lot of hard work over the years to get here. And even then, it doesn't make everything okay." There was a sermon quality about his speech. Maybe that's why I questioned it.

"You're not happy here? How could you not be?" I asked with a bit of a mocking tone. He had it easy.

He stood up and took his can of pop with him to the other side of the kitchen. I didn't see anything wrong with my questions, but apparently, he did. "Like I said back at the airport, that's enough with the questions—for today at least, okay Miss Crossbones?"

I shook my head. "It's just Bella. You're not interrogating me, so don't bring your work home with you."

"I don't interrogate people—I leave that for the officers who don't want to get their feet wet. But I'm sorry, Bella, I've never been a foster person before."

I laughed at his choice of words, and when he looked at me weird, I looked just as weird back. "Foster _person_? You can say parent—it's just a generic term, not meant to mean what it's normally used as."

He looked down at his feet awkwardly, his boots just as shiny as the tile, and then leaned back onto the counter. "No I know. I've just never done anything like this. I'm not…well…"

"A father? Hey no one knows that better than me. Just because foster parents bring kids in doesn't make them parents—I would know. And I can tell you've never done something like this. Hell, your house gives you away. No one could have such clean floors with kids running around."

Something about what I said rubbed him the wrong way, and the moment I stopped talking, he seemed to have shut down even more, his eyes back on the floor. For a cop, he was sure damn moody and spooky. He recovered quickly though, sighing like he had just finished something huge to eat. "Well, this is it then," he said with too much pep, trying to cover up his awkwardness. "You've probably noticed the place is pretty neat and clean. That's just from my years in the army. I know how to take care of my things, and I hope you do too. As for your room, it's upstairs, second on the right. It has a bathroom and your own TV, which I can easily take a way if anything goes in disarray."

Everything sounded decent, a little intimidating when he said his credentials, but I especially perked up on the last comment he made. "Goes in disarray? Meaning if I mess up?" I asked blankly.

He touched his gun for a second. "I'm a police officer—I know everything about everyone. I know you've been with eight foster families, that you ran away from at least five of them—three of those times being in the last year—and that you have a way with windows and not being able to stay on the inside of them."

Apparently, this guy had a way with digging. I hesitated awkwardly, pretending to have an itch on my scalp.

"And from what I'm learning, you're not much of a talker at times—either am I, and that's why I think I'll let you survey the rest of the house on your own. If you need me, I'll be in the garage just tinkering around."

I nodded. "Okay."

He left me there, alone in the vast kitchen, where I knew if I wasn't careful, I could be swallowed up easily. That wouldn't happen this time. I could handle a place like this—and so far, other then his strict nature, he was legit.

Although, living with a foster _person_ was a new kind of crazy.

But at least I had my own TV.

-x-


	4. HONEYMOON PHASE

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 4: HONEYMOON PHASE**

My room smelled like fresh paint, and everything looked crisp and "out of the package". A new white duvet still had its crease marks, as did the white curtains, and track marks covered the light carpet, someone's thorough cleaning job not going unnoticed.

But it wasn't the light aqua walls or the amazing oak furniture that got my attention. It was the added touches that impressed me—BMX and motocross posters were framed and strategically placed neatly around the room, a snowboard was hung near the closet with the bindings still attached, and instead of a headboard behind the bed, an aerial picture of a forest with winding trails and jumps was centered as the main focus of the room.

It was rumour that all foster kids had their own profiles filed away somewhere, but this room made it a fact. Charlie had read my profile—something I hadn't even read before—and instead of thinking nothing of it, he took my interests to heart, giving me a space I didn't have to loathe.

This situation was getting weirder and weirder. Foster parents didn't do that for kids they were getting rid of in a jiffy. Then again, foster parents didn't usually request the hardest case to crack, or take kids from other states. He was breaking all the rules.

I dropped my bag on the ground and went over to the desk. It was placed in front of one of the two windows in the room, giving me the best view of the front yard. Outside it was dark, and pathways were lit up with little lanterns, illuminating the damp stone and dewy grass.

I touched the smooth top of my desk and stared at the contents on top of it. Freshly sharpened pencils stood in a holder, a silver desk lamp was lit at the top of the desk, and a white laptop with a Hurley sticker was placed in the middle. I touched the laptop carefully, and then slowly peeled the sticker off, tossing it onto the floor. I wasn't _that_ much of a cliché.

To the left of the door, a dresser stood proudly, where an iHome with an iPod already in its dock stared at me with fresh eyes, and a TV hung on the wall above it all. I looked away and grabbed my bag off the floor, throwing it onto my bed to rummage through, until I found my own first generation iPod. I had the other iPod out of the iHome and shoved in a drawer quicker than a flash, my own taking its place in the dock. The music came quick enough, but it wasn't loud enough.

It never is.

-x-

I found Charlie after wondering the house for a bit. He was in an office on the main floor, tucked away in a private hall. He was typing on his computer, and when I did the cliché "knock knock" on the opened door, he shut his laptop immediately, his eyes moving cautiously onto my own.

"You scared me," he admitted, looking down at his desk. I really doubted that. "I'm not used to the feeling of having people in the house again."

I raised an eyebrow. "Again?" He had never mentioned family before.

He stood up and shook his head. "No, nothing," he said, clasping his hands together and giving me a half smile with a lot of effort. "Are you hungry yet?"

"Oh, no. I'm not much of an eater—but when I do get hungry, I know where the fridge is."

He nodded. "Okay," he said, moving out of the office. I followed behind him out into the kitchen, where he continued through the sliding doors that led out onto the biggest deck I have ever seen. It was about twenty-five feet off the ground, and overlooked the sloping backyard, where after a steep incline, the edge of a lake could barely be seen though the trees.

"I didn't know the property was lakeside," I admitted.

"It's really not, but I cleared a few trees down ten years ago so that we could have some kind of view of it."

There was that _we_ again. I didn't question it this time. We all have skeletons, skulls and crossbones in our closets.

"School starts tomorrow for you," he said blankly.

I sighed. "I know."

"You'll do fine if you want to do fine."

"I know."

He chuckled. "What _don't_ you know then?" he asked, placing his back on the edge of the railing, watching my face.

I answered him without hesitation. "Why you're doing all of this."

He shrugged. "Don't good people exist?"

I looked up at the black sky. I knew that answer from my years in broken homes. "No. They don't."

He didn't say anything. I took that as meaning he agreed.

I changed the topic. "My room's a bit much," I admitted, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "And the laptop—"

"Is a gift, for your birthday."

My face twitched. For someone who didn't know me, he knew a whole lot about me.

"Listen, we both know this nice act isn't going to last long," he said as if it were a matter of fact. "It's just the honeymoon phase, and once we get to know each other, I'm sure we'll figure out the other's faults.

I didn't say anything. It was true—politeness was meant for beginnings and sure to fade.

"Until that time though, I have provided you with all the tools you need to do well. That way you don't have any reasons to fail."

"You're not very optimistic."

"It's just my nature." He turned and leaned over the railing, looking down at the grass, and then gazed out into the forest, like he was searching for something.

"Mine as well. Maybe we'll get along fine then," I said, even though I knew that was a laugh.

He saw through it as well. "I don't get along with criminals, Bella."

"I'm not a criminal."

"You steal."

"I borrow without asking."

"There isn't a difference."

"Of course not. Just like there isn't a difference between being a cop and being a police officer."

"One's a title of respect, the other isn't." He pulled himself straight, now standing without help from the railing. "Don't cut the honeymoon short Bella. I don't want to be the bad guy, but I know you need it in your life."

_You don't know what I need. _"I can only do so much."

"Well, I don't ask of much, but I do have a few rules."

"Let's hear them now so we don't have any communication issues in the future."

He didn't even smile at that poke on marriage. His face was stern and serious. "When I say be home at a certain time, you better be home at that time. When I say to do something, you do it. When I call, you answer."

"Easy enough. Anything else, _captain_?"

_That_ he laughed at, but it wasn't genuine. He was mocking me. "It's about time you've have some discipline in your life, and even though you're probably going to hate me, I know you'll be grateful one day."

I nodded. "I doubt that, but hey, if you say so, _Charlie_."

"I do, _Miss Crossbones_." He headed back into the house, but before he slid the door shut behind him, he poked his head out and said. "And I trust that you've left your window escape fetish back in Phoenix?"

I shrugged. "We'll have to wait and find out," I said, even though I knew the answer already. I had some exploring to do, and the moment his head hit the pillow, I would be gone.

"Don't make me nail those windows shut," he said before shutting the door.

"Don't make me use a crow bar," I said too late, his absence making it less dramatic. But I swear, where his laugh was absent, another was made known in the distance, ever so quietly. I looked over my shoulder, where the forest was dark and murky, but nothing made itself known.

Spooked, I returned inside, where the honeymoon was officially over.

-x-


	5. THE GENE

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 5: THE GENE**

_**Edward Cullen**_

When I was seventeen, I was turned into what I am by a rare recessive gene found on my mother's side. A case was born with this mutation every fifty years, and 1901 just happened to be the lucky date.

At first, I stopped eating. Then I stopped sleeping. And then the eyes gleamed red in certain lights, just like a picture with the flash. Things got worse over time, and then I ruined my chances of staying human. I stayed trapped in the body of a youth, and watched everyone I know die.

There were others like me, luckily, some with the gene, and others put into the predicament by unfortunate circumstances. I was close with one family, even taking residence to secure my spot in what could be a normal life. But of course, I was an outcast of society, so there were those nights where I let the darkness take over and just hid amongst the shadows.

Tonight, I was doing just that, exploring the woods after watching the people of the small town go about their lives. That's where I came across a new scent, which I followed. When I got to the end of it, I stared up at Charlie Swan's house, the porch light on as if he knew visitors were on their way.

I cocked an eyebrow and decided to get closer, staying on the boundaries of his yard to stay hidden, but still able to hear Charlie's mind working on some of the town's disappearances on his laptop. But when he spoke out loud to another presence, a girl's voice responding, I was thrown off guard. I hadn't heard another mind, and when I tried to listen for it again, just his came up, like he was the only one in the room.

I ran around to the back of the house when I heard the door start to slide, and that's where Charlie stepped onto his deck, a girl following behind him; her scent had been the one I had smelled back in town. The girl was a sharp looking thing, with a mean gleam to her lips, and a bruise on her cheek to show her or someone else's aggression. But there was no denying her beauty, which was still visible behind the mask of denial that she seemed to wear proudly.

I climbed up a tree and watched them argue, flipping through the pages of Charlie's mind to get a better idea of things. The fact that she was an orphan and that he was giving her a place to live for a bit would normally startle me, but it was the other fact of him thinking she might be _different_ that made me question his motives.

"_Don't make me nail those windows shut,"_ Charlie said to her before leaving her alone on the deck.

She retaliated though with a quick lip, and before I even realized what I was doing, I chuckled out loud. I covered my mouth immediately, but I knew the damage was done when I saw her look over her shoulder at the forest, luckily nowhere near where I was hidden amongst the trees. As she searched for me, I searched for her mind, but she was as blank as blank could be. I had only ever experienced this with a few cases in life, more rare than the vampirism gene itself.

I jumped up onto the deck when she was safely inside and out of view, and when I heard Charlie wish her a goodnight, I slid the door open and entered.

He was already there waiting. "You shouldn't be in here, _Edward_," he said harshly, his mood lower than usual. This girl must not be as tame as he thought, putting him in a darker mood than usual, if that was even possible for _our_ kind.

"I wouldn't have to be if you weren't keeping secrets—what are you doing with that girl?" I hissed quietly, hearing the girls' footsteps pace in her room.

"That's none of your business! You're not apart of this—"

"You actually think she's one of us?" I said, shaking my head at him. "Tell me Charlie, how is it no one can tell if someone has this gene, but somehow, _you can_?"

He grabbed the throat of my sweater and pulled me up close. "Listen _Cullen_, I will not be mocked in my own home. You have your own family to loathe, so leave me out of it."

I shoved his hands away, adjusting myself to buy some time. "You're forgetting I can see through you. To everyone else you can come off as just a good guy doing a good thing, but I know your secrets. You think you know something—you think she could be one of us!"

He grabbed my arm and tugged it back, forcing my stomach onto a table, where his face hissed into my left ear. "You stay out of this," he growled fiercely, letting me go after a painful twist. "I mean it. _God forbid_ I help this girl out."

"God _does_ forbid it. He's not on our side if he gives us this hell."

"Exactly. And if I can prevent that for her—"

"_I knew it_! You think she has the gene—you're crazy! She's just a random kid off the street. Literally."

"She's seventeen. She wild. She's moody. She's already not eating. Who knows what else."

"So what?" I asked, shrugging. "She's a girl. It's what they do."

"Her last name is Crossbones."

I tried not to look shocked, but I couldn't help it. "Crossbones."

"When I saw the name on file, I couldn't believe it either. I couldn't _not_ look into it, and when I did, I found out she was just a lost kid."

I laughed, crossing my arms to prevent myself from strangling him. He wasn't getting it. "This is wrong. If you left her where she was, she would have had a better chance. Bringing her here, to Forks, was the stupidest thing ever."

"No it wasn't. You're not a good judge of what's right and wrong. She's never had a family. She needs stability."

"So what, you adopted a bloodsucker?"

"I didn't adopt her, she's a foster child—and she's not a vampire!"

"_Yet._"

"She won't be. I'll make sure of that. I'm going to be keeping an eye on her. She'll get through it."

"She's a Crossbones. She has to have some relatives somewhere."

"Well she's been in orphanages and foster homes all her life. Documents said her family died when she was a baby. No other blood relatives."

"The Crossbones have been known gene carryings for centuries. They'll want to meet her—"

"That's not going to happen. She's going to fly under the radar until she turns eighteen, and then she'll be free of this life. They'll never know about her if I have anything to do with it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You think you can protect her from herself?"

"I do."

I chuckled, choosing to ignore his comment. "I can't read her mind. What does that tell you?"

He covered his shock well. "It tells me you're not as extraordinary as you think."

"Nice try, but wrong. It tells me that I can't figure out why she is trying to open her window right now."

Charlie looked at me for half a second, finally catching what I said. "What?" he looked up at the ceiling, focusing his hearing towards the unmistakeable sound of a window in the opposite side of the house sliding up. "You've got good hearing," he said, shoving past me to leave the kitchen quickly.

"I wouldn't do that," I told him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Do what?" His voice was irritated. He must have actually believed this girl was going to change her ways.

"Don't barge up there. Just let her go, and I'll follow her—" He cut me off immediately.

"Like hell!" he roared with almost an amused smirk on his face, like the sheer thought of it was funny. "You're not getting anywhere near that girl. I'm trying to keep her away from danger, not throw her into it."

"_Fuck."_

Charlie's eyes glared into mine when he heard the muffled curse.

"Sounds like she's having some issues up there," I said. "If you're so right, maybe you should go drag her back inside."

"Little late for that," he said, but he still turned his back on me and headed quickly up the stairs. I was out of the house and up on the roof in good time, prime seats to see his precious foster kid dangling out of her window with only bushes below to break the two story fall. Apparently the situation was sound enough for her, as she welcomed the fall with the unclasping of her hands from the ledge, falling fast.

She swore loudly when the ground broke her fall with too much force, throwing her from the bushes onto her wrist.

I shook my head in disbelief at the cursing girl sprawled out on the grass below me.

She really was crazy, and Charlie was stupid if he thought he could save her, if she even needed saving.

-x-


	6. DON'T GET TRIPPED

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**Chapter 6: DON'T GET TRIPPED**

I landed in the bushes first and then sprawled out on to the lawn, catching my body with my wrist and then falling on top of it, crushing the important clutch hand for bikes.

"Holy shit," I cursed lowly, rolling over onto my back before turning back over onto my stomach and jumping into a sprint position, just like my track days when I thought I had a future in passing a baton. I ran into the shadows of the woods where I was able to duck down and heave a few breathes, pretending I didn't have tears forming in my eyes from being such a girl.

_My wrist! _It was a break—no doubt about it. I held it close to my body, pretending it was a wounded animal that needed protection, and tried to gain back the breath that had been knocked out of me. I couldn't concentrate on it for long though, a slamming window catching my attention, and sure enough, when I looked up to my bedroom window, there was Charlie, his head turned away from me, leaving my room that no longer had an entrance back into it.

_Wow._ This had never happened to me before. Ever. I was always the first one back in the house, curled up in the ball on my mattress before anyone realized I was gone. But this cop lived and breathed his profession, and I had forgotten that _maybe_ he wasn't an idiot.

He was smart, and I was dumb. So dumb that even if he hadn't have closed my window, there wasn't really an easy way to get back through it. I'm not so used to second story homes, apparently. But hell, I knew the game he was playing—the knock-knock ginger without the running away part. And there was _no way_ I was crawling to the front door and asking permission to return back to his little cocoon. Not tonight anyway. I could stay out all night…probably…maybe…I mean, _of course_ I could.

I stared up at the moon, which was slowly slipping its way out of a few purple clouds, revealing its full, orange surface. It looked proud to be out on a cool night like tonight, so I took it as a sign, borrowing its confidence to head deeper into the woods. Tree branches pulled at my moth eaten hoodie, putting holes in holes and allowing the chill to creep onto my skin.

I shivered. Of course I didn't wear a jacket. I'm not smart. I could only cover my head with my hood and trample along the forest floor in untied chucks, until a shoelace wrapped around the smallest of twigs and brought out my leg from under me. I caught myself with my clutch hand—yes, again. Would I learn? No. And the pain stung twice as bad and didn't end like before. Okay, _now_ it was a break. False alarm before. All pain jumps to the worst case scenario for me, but _now_ it was for real.

I pressed my arm into my chest softly, grinning up at the moon through the tree tops because I knew it was laughing at me. I couldn't blame it. I looked foolish and felt even more so, that's why I was quite cautious when I peeled myself off the ground for the second time tonight, and continued my walk in the park.

This wasn't a park though. It was infested with branches, like they were in a fight for space and sunlight, leaving zero room for walking. I shoved my way through the itching and scarping, until I had gone so far that I actually popped out into someone else's yard, a much shabbier one than the one I was residing at. I noticed it didn't look lived in at all, that's why I dared to walk across the un-mowed grass and walk right in front of the cracked windows, peering into the creepy basement where darkness didn't invite me. I didn't want to RSVP yes for that party anyway—I wasn't a basement person.

The house was scary. It had carved details around the windows and along the corners of the roof, which would have been elegant in the time of its birth, but now just looked creepy. The brown siding was half falling off, revealing rotting wood and insect nests that had been abandoned long before now. The second story looked in better condition than the first floor, but every window was still either gone or had cracked glass. There was also evidence of brave neighbourhood kids or squatters from the looks of the litter scattered around, beer cans and cigarette butts showing someone else's good time. I didn't try opening the front door, or go near it, but it was pretty kicked in looking, with the lucky number 13 screwed onto it, the rusty plates clashing with the fancy numerals.

I didn't dare go in for two reasons. One, Charlie could be watching me from the road if he was the thorough cop I assumed he was, and two, I was a scardy cat. Instead, I retreated from the house and headed around the side, where a shed with a glass window on the side and a wind dial on the roof sat on the edge of the beaten in driveway that was decorated with spray paint profanities and wannabe gang symbols. If I had a spray can, I would have left my mark—a cliché skull and crossbones, something any passer/buyer could appreciate and call lame. I would too.

The shed wasn't ruined as much as the house, and actually still had a lock on the door, with no signs of breaking in. I touched the lock lightly, careful not to disturb anything, and then moved towards the window, where I prepared myself in case something wanted to jump out at me. It only took one glance for my heart to jump out of my chest. I flinched and then did a double take, where I pressed my face up against the thin glass to make sure my eyes weren't tricking me. And they weren't. Inside, hidden amongst over-turned flower pots, garden tools, hoses, buckets of paint and just plain crap, a dirt bike laid quietly on its side, wondering when it was ever going to be ridden again.

My chest began to ache, my heart pumping a million miles a minute, because this is what I needed. Fate brought me to this moment, and I wasn't going to screw fate over by walking away. I wanted to pound on the glass and yell to it, to let the lonely bike know I would rescue it.

I looked around, fearful of night watchers, took one huge breath, looked down at my good hand, and then after saying goodbye, let it fly.

Honestly, I only felt bliss.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

The house was a local hangout for childish neighbourhood kids. They had taken it over four years ago when they realized its former residence was never coming back. Tonight, they were at the park, another one of their hangouts, where they played with their little bikes and tried not to kill each other. They'd be back at the house eventually though, because no matter how much Charlie threatened them, they didn't care that they were trespassing on private property. It's childish antics that make me hate humans sometimes, which is why I don't know how Charlie can even waste his time with it all.

But it's the girl crossing this abandoned house's lawn that tells me I really don't know Charlie at all. For him to get his hands dirty with this girl—this stupid, hormone driven, wild child kid—is one of the most stupid things he has done.

I watched her from a distance, noticing how she was fearful to get too close to the house, like it would suck her in. She was right to be scared—this place _could_ suck her in. She was the lost type the gang would chew up and spit out later.

For some reason, she had taken an interest in the shed in the corner, which I had never paid too much attention to. In fact, I never found this place that interesting, especially after the teenage drama took over.

She flinched when she looked in the window, like there was a dead body in the shed, her heart actually thumping a bit louder than before. This action actually had me out of the tree and ten feet behind her, her scent closer than ever before. At this position, I could see how truly small she was, a vulnerable little girl, her shoulders too straight to be actual confidence, but definitely home to a bit of courage.

I didn't know what I was doing—I wasn't her protection, and I knew nothing was in there that could hurt her. I wasn't thinking, and that's why she nearly caught me when she turned her head to look behind her, my body flashing into the forest before she could catch a glimpse. I only looked over my shoulder when I heard the glass shatter, her hand through the window. No pain showed on her face. Maybe she wasn't all that human after all. But the previous falls of the night still took the cake.

Then she broke the rest of the glass and stuck her head in, for reasons I'm not sure. She seemed intent on getting into the shed, which showed when she jumped up and threw her torso onto the ledge of the window so that her legs dangled out. I crept out of the forest again, scared for her now. I didn't want her to get caught. Then she disappeared with a loud thump, her signature curse word flying out of her mouth. I actually smirked. She was kind of funny. And when I got a little closer, I saw what she was rummaging for.

_A dirt bike._

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I couldn't believe my eyes and I sure couldn't believe I was actually touching a dirt bike. It had been years since I had come in contact with one—I had transitioned to four wheels a while back—but I had missed the feeling of only two holding me up the entire time. _This _was my birthday gift. _To Bella, love Bella._

I shoved all the yard crap off the bike and held the handle bar with the hand that had gotten me in here, my other hand still limp and no good. And while I gazed at the beauty of the beaten-in bike, my eyes came in contact with gold. _Keys. _I grabbed them off the nail in the wall before I could process the luck, and shoved the long silver one into the ignition. It fit like a glove, and when I twisted it with the clutch, it choked.

The fact that it probably needed some tuning or at least some gas didn't flatten my mood. It was still a good night. I'd figure everything out, and this bike would be mine.

With one last look and the keys in my pocket, I gave a heartfelt goodbye and left my love. I fell back through the window, landing on my knees and then onto my chest. I got up quickly and ran back to the woods, where I'd go back to Charlie and ask to come back in. I didn't care about my pride anymore because I had bigger issues now; like how I was going to get that damn bike out of the shed. I'd figure it out in the morning.

I guess school would have to wait.

-x-


	7. TOUCHÉ

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 7: TOUCHÉ **

It took one knock on the door for it to swing open.

"Hi." I didn't know what else to say. What could I say? Charlie was there, in his sweat pants and tee, reading glasses on his nose and cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're up a little early, eh?" he said before taking a sip of his coffee, his eyes never meeting mine.

I sighed, giving up. "We're doing this?"

He shrugged, leaning his shoulder on the threshold of the door. "I don't know. Should we?"

I looked down at my feet.

He waited for me to speak.

"I snuck out," I said with a glare, "and I'm sorry."

"Obviously you snuck out…but you're sorry…I don't know…"

He knew though. He knew damn well I was a little scared kid coming home crying, all the while knowing I wouldn't learn from my mistakes. So I told him. "Fine. I'm not that sorry about it."

He seemed intrigued with that one, and smiled—more so out of shock, I think. He still wouldn't look at me though, his eyes off on the ceiling, searching for his brain.

"Can I come in?" I asked, placing my foot inside the house. I didn't even take the step before his arm shot across the door, stopping me. He kept his gaze straight towards the hinges of the door, and I even glimpsed that way in case I was missing something. I waited for him to say something. He didn't. I spoke up again. "Come on, I _am_ sorry now."

He had that amused look on his face still, and tried to hide it by taking another sip of his coffee.

"Please—let me in or I'll have to walk myself to the emergency room," I whined, trying to get passed him again. But I didn't need to beg anymore; my words had finally gotten his attention. His eyes were on my own. They looked threatening, dark and glossy, the moon reflecting a hint of red back. Maybe he had bloodshot eyes from crying over me—I smiled at this thought, finding myself _so_ hilarious.

"What's so dire that you need to go to the hospital?" he asked sharply. He sounded like he didn't really care, but I was trained to know better. He was using the parent's tone that parents used when they needed information; a dull voice that didn't threaten kids but still made them feel they had to give up their knowledge.

"I landed on my wrist from the fall. It feels like I need it amputated."

"That's ridiculous—"

"You didn't fall two stories, so you wouldn't know. I would rather have one hand right now than feel this irritating pain." I wasn't sure if this was true or not. But it sounded dramatic enough.

"I should make you live with that then as a lesson. How does that sound? Not too good eh?" He seemed victorious. I had to shoot him down.

"Yeah the social workers would _love_ to hear that one. What a great foster parent—sorry, foster _person_—you'd look like…not."

He stared at me for a moment, taking in my unimpressed face that he was wearing as well. Then he sighed, looked passed me, and then moved aside—a defeat and clear win for me. But then he spoke. "I'll take you to the ER tomorrow. I'm not going to that place to tonight just to have them say it's a bruise."

"Bruise my ass! It's serious—"

"Watch your mouth!" he yelled out of nowhere, going back into his army mode. "I'm not one of your friends you can mess around with. It's disrespectful. I don't talk to you like that so don't talk to me like that."

I held up my good hand as a questioning gesture, wondering where this even came from. Then I felt like my eyes were going to water, but I had to play tough kid through to the end. "Get _over_ yourself," I mumbled with my head down, moving passed him.

"Excuse me?" he asked back with the same frustrated, football-coach tone.

I moved to the stairs and ran up them in a hurry, finding my bedroom door and slamming it like a girl. If I really wanted to play the part, I could run to my bed and start crying, but I already felt ridiculous as it was.

It sucks being spineless and having a bad reputation.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

I slipped into the kitchen just like I did before and grabbed a seat at the island. Charlie didn't even see me there when he entered holding the bridge of his nose. I chuckled because I was usually the one doing that, and then he flinched from my presence.

"What are you doing—get out of here!" he said through gritted teeth. I could already hear the furry in his head. This girl was making him nuts.

"Don't you want to know what she was up to tonight?" I asked, a sly look on my face. "It's quite something."

"I don't want you near her—" I had to cut him off.

"She found a bike, a _dirt bike_ that is, over at the Larson's old lot. If she really tries, she'll probably have it stolen and drivable in a week."

He looked dumbfounded, standing there with his cup in his hand and ridiculous glasses.

I had to ask. "Why are you wearing glasses?"

He placed the cup near the sink and took them off, folding them onto the neck of his shirt. "No reason."

"Well, maybe once you stop playing grandpa you'll realize you need to step up control on this girl—she already has broken bones."

He shook his head. "She's full of it."

"No, her wrist is broken. And it's going to be the first of many. What's she doing with the dirt bike? Can you imagine her on that? It's going to be the end of it all, and then you're dad days will be over."

_That_ turned his mood. I didn't even see my slip up until it was too late. "I'm _not_ her dad and I'm _not_ joking around about this with you! Don't come back here. I can handle this."

"Okay, I'm sorry." But my apology was turned down with a mocking chuckle because he saw through it. I couldn't blame him. I stood up and headed for the sliding door. "Whatever. Just hope your little sweetheart doesn't get mixed in with any in particular crowds."

He closed his eyes and pulled his hand through his hair. He looked at me with a sideways glance. "I don't know why you're trying to be involved in this. You're just a spoiled little snot—maybe that's why you're so interested in her. She's just like you when you weren't…_this_." He looked at my feet and then up to my face. I kept a tight jaw as a lock on things and then shrugged as if nothing he said could faze me. I then left him there in the kitchen, but when I got outside, I was thinking about his words.

I knew it was true. I wasn't one of a kind after all. Even miserable people come in pairs.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I didn't sleep.

I assumed it was because it was my first night in a strange environment. The entire time I was too aware of the dark spaces around me, and the black shapes in the room. These shapes seemed to be encroaching towards the bed, moving in on me. It was only once I turned on the light that they returned to their normal size and spot, and I was able to rest without thinking a dresser was going to slam into me.

I was just paranoid. I always have been.

Morning came slow enough. And I still had the broken wrist. I showed Charlie at breakfast too—yes _breakfast_, a new thing to me. I wasn't used to all this preparation of food and being remembered and taken care of.

"I made you toast, eggs, and hash browns. There's bacon too, if you want some."

I took the plate and sat down at the island across from him. He was already dressed for the day, not in a police outfit, but in a button down shirt rolled up to his elbows. I cocked an eyebrow at this. "Why don't you have police officer getup?"

He glanced up at me from the morning paper he was reading, and then took a sip of his morning coffee. He sure liked coffee, apparently. He nodded down at my plate. "Why don't you start eating there, champ."

"Champ?" I asked. I pushed my food away. "I hate potatoes."

"Those are hash browns."

"There isn't a difference."

"You like fries I bet."

"Yeah. But t_hat's_ different. You can like cucumbers but hate pickles. It's all in the preparation."

"Touché."

"Yeah, _touché_" I said back, a smile on my face because it was embarrassingly funny.

"But seriously, you should eat something."

"But seriously, I'm not hungry." I wasn't lying either. I had completely lost my appetite in the last two days—an anorexic's dream. I'd be jealous of me too if I were one. "Maybe you should take your own advice, mister _liquid diet_."

He looked at me strange for a second, like he was debating something, but then fell out of it. "You mean my coffee?" he asked, relaxing a little. "It's just a staple. I already ate before you woke up. You sleep like a log."

"That I do, if you mean by not sleeping at all."

He seemed bothered by this. "Really? That's too bad. Is the room okay?"

I shrugged, playing along. "No. It must be _too_ nice. I'll try sleeping on the floor tonight, just so I'm in my comfort zone."

He took another sip of his coffee, ignoring my sarcasm.

"Am I going to the ER today or what?"

He nodded and stood up from the island, folding the paper under his arm. "As soon as you get dressed for the day we'll leave."

I stood up and presented myself with my hands in a dramatic gesture. "Done."

He laughed. "You look homeless."

"It's kind of a fact with me."

"You're not homeless."

"For now." If he said touché after, I was going to kill him. But he didn't.

He sighed instead. "Fine. Let's go."

"Don't you want to change into your police ensemble? You look like you're headed to an office job on dress-down-Friday."

"I'm a plain clothes officer, and I don't do street patrol unless there's a serious call."

"What would a serious call be?" I asked, following him out of the kitchen and into the entrance way.

"If a homeless girl was caught doing something stupid—_then _I would be called in."

_Touché. _

-x-

The hospital was shit. Its waiting room had four chairs. All four chairs were in use. I had to stand there beside Charlie for an hour. I actually started to slip down to the floor, but he grabbed my elbow and said "Don't you dare sit on the floor." I smiled back and resisted the urge to disobey him, and then we were called into the doctor's office. Yup. _We._

"Charlie and Bella Swan?" The nurse called out.

I stepped forward immediately and corrected her. "It's Bella Crossbones. He's the Swan. And I'm flying solo for this one."

"No you're not," he said behind me, pushing me along. "I need to hear this as much as you do."

"No way—"

"Right this way please," the nurse said in a rude tone. I glared at Charlie when he shoved me in front of him again, forcing me to follow. She led us to a cot with a blue curtain around it; a makeshift room, I guess. She closed the curtain when both of us were inside it after informing us that the doctor will be right with us.

I moved to the left side of the cot and sat on the edge of it with my feet dangling. Charlie stood in the corner of the room like a coat rack. He blended in with the sterile environment quite well.

"Eww do you hear that?" I whispered, leaning forward. I listened again to the sound of someone next door emptying their stomach into a bed pan. "That's sick." But I wasn't grossed out enough to _not_ investigate. I moved off the bed to get a closer look in the crack of the curtain.

"Don't be so immature—"Charlie said, leaping forward. He grabbed me by my left wrist, forgetting why I was even here in the first place. I hollered out like there was no tomorrow. "Oh shit—" he cursed. He dropped his grip and backed away with his hands up. "Sorry—I'm sorry—I forgot." His voice was sincerely concerned and guilt ridden. And because of that, I took advantage of it.

"Sure," I said sarcastically, holding my wrist to my chest like he had broken it in another place. "And then tomorrow if will be your fist accidentally fell onto my face." I pointed to the now yellowed bruise that James had put on my cheek bone. "It's what they all say." I held in a smile after, pleased with myself, but Charlie shook his head, actually angry at himself for hurting me. This guy was such a tool. He was too easy.

"Bella—" he didn't get any more words in though. The Doctor entered at that moment, and that's when my heart went pitter-patter.

He was pretty damn good looking.

-x-


	8. YOU SPEED, I SPEED—WE ALL SPEED

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 8: YOU SPEED, I SPEED—WE ALL SPEED. **

Interruptions in life are expected to be unexpected; therefore, I expected the doctor to interrupt Charlie and I arguing.

"Bella Crossbones?"

I sighed in relief. He had the damn name right. I liked this doctor already. "Yes. That's me."

He held out his hand and I took it gladly like a kid taking candy from a stranger. "I'm Doctor Carlisle Cullen," he said, shaking my hand and then dropping my grip. "Charlie." He nodded at the statue in the corner.

"Carlisle," Charlie responded with his fixed confidence. "How are things." It wasn't a question. It was just polite small talk.

"Just fine. My son was telling me about your new house guest," he said before sitting on a stool in front of me.

I perked up. "Son?" My heart skipped a beat. If he had a son, there was at least half the doctor's DNA in him—and that was enough for me. His good looks would sure to be somewhere in the boy. "How does he know about me?" I was flattered. Beyond flattered. No boy had ever taken notice of me.

Charlie cleared his throat, adjusting himself in the corner. I ignored him and leaned closer to Carlisle, my eyes and ears focused on him, which the doctor smiled at. "He's my adopted son, probably somewhere around your age. He's a wild thing—Charlie seems to come across his path too often in town."

I was flattened at first when I heard the 'a' word, concluding he wouldn't be as divine looking at this doctor. But when he said he was wild…I had died and gone to heaven. There was a _bad boy_ running around Forks. _I_ could find him.

"What's his name—"

"Alright Bella, that's enough. We're here for a reason," Charlie said, moving across the room. "Show him your wrist. I have to get to work."

"You don't have to be here. You can leave and I'll find my way—"

"_Great idea_," Charlie said, mocking me. "But that's not happening."

Carlisle spoke up after I gave up with Charlie. "You two seem to be well acquainted already. How long have you been in town Bella?"

"A day," I answered. A whole fucking day and more of them to come.

Carlisle laughed, but stopped when Charlie gave him a sideways glance. The doctor went back to being serious. "Alright, what's the problem then?"

I held up my wrist and pointed to it, a glazed over look on my face.

"I see." He took it gently in his hands, where I flinched from his cool skin. His hands felt soft on my skin, perfectly smooth and careful not to hurt me. Perfect boyfriend hands, I'd say, if he wasn't in his late 30's like Charlie. "How did this happen?"

I sighed. How _didn't_ it happen was a better question—how many times had I fallen on it that night? I had a vague answer ready. "I fell a few times."

Charlie laughed. "That's the understatement of a lifetime. You fell from a second story—no, you _jumped_ from a second story."

Carlisle looked quite amused, but there was a puzzled look to his eyes. "Jumped from a second story? What were you doing that for Bella?" Carlisle asked, concern in his voice.

I stared at the curtain behind him, listening to the neighbour next door choking on his own stomach, until I was able to give in. "Fine. I jumped out a window"

Carlisle looked up at Charlie, shaking his head with a smirk. I pretended not to notice it because it put a little heat in my veins, burning my throat. He was finding humour in my childish antics, and if I wasn't sitting on my other hand, I'd punch him…well…maybe.

"Bella has a _thing_ with windows and escaping. Maybe tonight she'll give it a rest though."

I shrugged without looking at Charlie, pretending he wasn't bothering me, when really I wanted to die. Charlie was making me look so stupid—or maybe it was all on my doing.

"Well, I can tell you right now that your wrist isn't broken," Carlisle said matter of factly.

I was about to jump up and yell _I told you_ _so!_ in Charlie's face, that is, until I realized the doctor said it _wasn't_ a break. My eyes went to a blank space, a buzzing sound filling my ears, and then I was back peering into the mistaken doctor's face. "It's not a break." I chuckled after, a nervous habit, because what he claimed wasn't possible. "But it feels worse than a sprain." I think. No, _of course_! I wasn't making the pain up…no.

Carlisle stood up and wrote something down on his clipboard, a stupid smile on his face. "Actually, it's not _even_ a sprain. I think it's just sore from the fall. You're lucky."

_Lucky._ Lucky? No. "I don't think that's really it—"

"So much for _that,_ Bella. You were just being dramatic this whole time," Charlie said, reaching out to shake the doctor's hand. They both exchanged a quick, weird look, and then Charlie dropped his hand.

"Alright. If the pain doesn't go away, just give me a call, and we'll get you back in here, Bella."

I stood up from the cot and glared at the doctor. I didn't find him so attractive anymore. Actually, I despised the man. He was just like Charlie. He made me feel foolish. "Well apparently my pain is irrelevant to your diagnosis so I really doubt I'll be back."

Carlisle formed his mouth into a hard line and then looked at Charlie, who was frozen beside him. He gave me a warning look, but I disregarded it, like most things concerning him.

"Good seeing you Doctor. And tell your douchebag son to mind his own business," I said before leaving the stupid curtained room. And even though I expected this to set Charlie over the edge, I swear I heard him second my request behind me.

-x-

"I don't like that man."

Charlie held the steering wheel with a tight grip, ignoring my comment.

I continued my rant anyway. "And maybe it wasn't broken—fine, whatever—but to disregard my symptoms like that! He's not very professional."

Charlie cut in. "He can smell bullshit from a mile away. So can I."

"That makes three. Maybe that's why I can't stand being in this car with you."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're the most childish person I've ever met."

"I really doubt that."

"You can doubt all you want—"

"It's kind of my right."

He didn't comment further, but I saw the smug look on his face. I didn't like it. And it was there the entire ride…to school? It didn't even register in my head when I saw the _Forks High_ sign. I was just in my own head, being stupid. And then the school came into sight, and all colour drained from my face.

"You're quiet all the sudden."

I unbuckled my seat belt and pulled the handle of the door to try an exit out of the car. It wouldn't be my first escape from a moving car, but it would be my first fail at one; his police car had child lock doors, with the controls only on his side.

"You're going to school today and you can't do anything about it."

I whipped my head around and shook my head, defence mode kicking in. "I don't have any stuff."

He didn't care. "They know it's your first day. Just go to the office, and they'll help you out from there," he said, pulling up into the front entrance. There were a few kids walking from building to building, just enough to give the place a deserted look. Most kids were already in class, and I was the loser getting dropped off.

I had one last idea. "I'll just leave when you do," I admitted, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I'll be getting a call for every class you don't attend. I know everything that goes on in this town. Trust me Bella," he said with too much confidence, "if you leave, I'll know. And then you'll be in trouble when you get back to the house."

I drummed my fingers on the door, thinking things through while my eyes stayed glued to the school. Every fibre in my body was itching with a fire that licked at my throat, making me want to run away and never come back. I tried to hold in the rage, but I wasn't _that_ type. I needed to let it out. I slid out of the car like a good little kid after he unlocked the door, and with a little fake smile, I slammed the door as hard as I could. It didn't smash out a window, like I hoped.

Charlie rolled down his window to yell at me. "Keep it up Bella," he said in a threatening tone, "and I'll make this school a dream compared to your life at home."

"It's been that way my entire life. You'd just be following other people's footsteps." I could tell he wasn't expecting that one. His face lost a little of its hardness, and I turned my back to retreat. "Don't wait up for me."

"Bella Crossbones!" he yelled after me. I glanced up to see a few kids stopping in their tracks, eyes wide. I turned around and looked at him. "You better be home by supper or you'll be in deep trouble!"

I nodded. "Get your hopes up."

I turned and left him there, a grin on my face, my chest heavier than ever.

I knew I was done for.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

I take a few night courses at Forks High because I failed them last year. I never went to school on a normal basis because I couldn't stand it. I've never graduated from high school before, as it's never been on my to-do list for being a vampire. But this year, I'm trying out what it means to be normal, and a school routine comes with it.

"Cullen, you're late."

I jerked my head up and gave the teacher a handsome, sly look. She normally fell for it, as did anyone with a heart and naïve mind. "I'm sorry Miss Blyth," I said coolly, holding my scribbler close to my side. I took two steps into the hot room before she cut me off again.

"No. Not working today. Get out."

I stopped. "You're not letting me in…I'm already here though—and I was _two seconds_ late."

"Get out."

My face hardened over, losing the fake softness. I needed to attend as many classes as I could to get the full passing mark. She was pushing me towards a fail, and she knew it. I wouldn't show my anger though. "Okay." I craned my head and spun on my heels, leaving the classroom with a furry. I saw red—hell, I saw black. I held my back teeth together, grinding them as I walked, dumping my stupid scribbler in a garbage can as I went. Carlisle was going to be mad. He judged me on my lack of an education.

I didn't know what I was going to do for the rest of the night. I wasn't going to face the people at my house, and I wasn't going to tell Carlisle about this mistake. My mind was in another place, outraged with the human. I found the exit doors quick enough, and shoved through them like a mad man escaping jail.

The air was thicker than usual, and more humid than I would have liked. But I couldn't avoid admitting what a nice night it was. I fumbled for my keys as soon as the air touched the skin on my arms. I just wanted to get out of the parking lot, and find somewhere to go and be miserable. I walked around the building quickly, and I would have walked straight to my car if I hadn't have witnessed a peculiar looking figure slumped across a bench by the smoker's spot.

I recognized the moth eaten hoodie and ruined chucks because they belonged to Charlie's little project. By the looks of things, she was having just as much trouble living with him as he was with her.

I hadn't even realized I had stopped dead in my tracks, but there I was, staring straight at her. I don't know how long I stood there. Maybe minutes. My gaze must have been strong. It lifted her head up in my direction briefly. It didn't faze her too much though because she went back to her position of not giving a damn with the world, looking quite dead and pathetic on the bench. I hesitated briefly, until I made up my mind to go over to her.

One foot in front of the other, and I was there, standing over her, watching her inhale and exhale with a hidden face again. I cleared my throat. She didn't stir. I sighed. "Excuse me?" Still, she didn't respond. I looked around and saw that no one was around. I looked back down at her and her eyes were on my own, blacker than the night. "Oh, I'm sorry—" Her body recoiling over the top of the bench and away from me shocked the hell out of me. She literally threw herself off the bench, landing hard on her knees, and then in a standing, defensive position a second later.

Her hair was wildly dark like her glare, the bags beneath her eyes evidence of little sleep, if any at all. Her lips looked thin and blue, like she wasn't taking in oxygen. Her appearance told me she was living a suffocating lifestyle. I really wasn't one of a kind after all.

"Are you okay?" I asked, holding my hand out to her when she stumbled on the curb behind her. I didn't touch her though; her body language told me that would be stupid. She kept taking steps back, so I stopped moving, letting her get a few feet in between us.

"What were you doing?" Her voice was quick and sharp. But I saw through it. I could hear the delicateness that used to exist before she was turned into what she was by her harsh lifestyle.

I held up my hands in defence, palms up like a good guy. I was a good guy. Well, I could be the good guy if I wanted to be. I would be for her. "No it's nothing weird like that. I just saw you there on the bench," I said quickly, throwing my hand over my shoulder to point out where I noticed her before. "It's dark out. You looked…dead."

She looked over at the bench and then back at me, her eyes skittish. "Okay." That was all she said before turning her back to me. She was done with me. She didn't care at all for what I thought of her. It scared me to know she was so free.

I didn't want to let her go. I quickly took a few steps after her, which she heard, and turned around to face me again. I quickly spoke again before she could start screaming at me. "Hey are you sure you're okay? I've never seen you around here before and—"

"I'm from Phoenix. Is that around here?"

I laughed despite my cold mood. "Sure isn't."

She pulled her hoodie up over her head and tried to hide her face. "Can I _help_ you with something." Her tone was rude and irritated, code for _back the hell off_.

"I was wondering the same thing for you," I said.

She looked at me as if she was the popular girl and I was the nerd who had just asked to take her to prom. The idea of anyone helping her was _that_ unreal. "I'm fine," she said blankly. She seemed to believe it too. I didn't, because she wasn't fine. Even on the outside she was already deteriorating. The girl was well on her way to leaving humanhood. I don't know why I cared, but I did—_for Charlie's sake_, that's what I told myself. If he cared enough about her, I should as well. But before I could convince her to smarten up and start flying straight, flashing lights came through the trees from the road on the other side of the dense forest, sending flashes of red and blue across the parking lot.

Her eyes took in the approach quicker than I did. But I stepped in before she could flee. "It's the chief of police," I said quickly, "he and I aren't on good terms right now—I need to leave." Her eyes flashed to where I was jogging to, and at the sight of my little Volvo, she was following after me, just like I knew she would. She wouldn't look at me when she climbed in, as if my invitation was _that _obvious, but there wasn't any time to chat. I pulled out of the parking lot with a screeching reverse, and peeled around the school to a road that led out behind the school, shifting gears like a street racer. I was showing off my driving skill, and by the way her eyes were lit up with both fear and thrill, I knew she was enjoying herself. "I won't crash," I said with confidence, "but you can put on your seatbelt if you don't trust me."

She gave me that look again, the one where any ounce of concern directed at her was the most obscure act. But the fact that she didn't fasten her seat belt made something inside my cold body flutter a little.

She trusted me.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I didn't go to class.

I didn't go back to Charlie's.

I stayed at the school the whole day.

What was I doing? Sleeping.

The moment Charlie had dropped me off, I went and found the bench towards the back of the school, and the moment I propped my head back, I was dozing. Sleep found me better than any other night, and the next thing I knew, I was lifting my head up to see the most handsome guy I've ever seen staring in awe at me.

My eyes were still in a dream. I laid my head back down, breathing in the night air to clear the dark visions, but when I heard his voice, it wasn't a dream at all. A second glance told me the truth, and I pulled away.

He wanted to know if I was okay—a goody-goody, preppy guy wanted to know if I was okay. He had to be gay. Only the gays were that kind. I was shocked. No one ever noticed me the way he did. I was creeped out. He wasn't a gay. He was a night creeper. I knew he had to be.

So I tried to ditch him, but he kept bothering me, informing me of the obvious darkness around me. I had slept through the day—something so unnatural it scared me—and then a local guy was taking interest in me.

I was dreaming. I felt disoriented. I didn't know where to go. But the only thing that cleared my head was the sight of the police lights coming through from the road. They snapped me out of it, and when the guy said he had trouble with this cop like me, I chose to follow.

I got into his car knowing the offer was there, and he drove like a maniac. And I realized I was in love while I clung onto his leather seats for dear life. I don't know if it was for him or his car though—no, _definitely_ for his car.

"I won't crash, but you can put on your seatbelt if you don't trust me."

I rolled my eyes. I wouldn't be in the damn car if didn't trust him already.

"What's your name?" I yelled over the roaring engine and blasted music. Trees were flying by on the outside of the window, and I couldn't help but throw my window down and stick my head out to scream like a wild child at the moon. I fell back into my seat when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside. "Come on! Don't be so lame!" I yelled, turning up the music even louder and reaching up to lift myself out of the window again.

He tugged me back again, turning down the music in the process. "I can't go fast if you hang out the window," he said in an assertive tone, "I don't want to kill a complete stranger."

I held out my hand, the customary thing to do in this type of situation. "Well, I'm Bella Crossbones. Now you don't need to worry."

He took my hand, shaking it quickly, and then dropping it as if I had some germ he didn't want to contract. I smiled at that, but was reminded of his touch from the doctor's cool hands. "I'm Edward Cullen," he said.

I stared at his face, my heart picking up speed. _Cullen_. The doctor's wild son—no, the doctor's wildly handsome son. I laughed out loud, and when he looked at me, I shook my head at him. He looked at me strangely, so I filled him in. "I met your asshole adoptive father today," I said in between turning up the music and rocking my shoulders to it. "He sucks at his job."

He grinned so huge that I couldn't help grinning with him. He put his foot harder down on the pedal, letting the twists of the road throw us around. "I believe you," he hollered over the music. "I know your foster father too. And he sucks at his job as well."

I corrected him. "He prefers foster _person_," I yelled, rolling my eyes when he looked at me with confusion. I shrugged, my way to tell him I wasn't getting into it. "But I agree with you—he does suck at his job," I yelled, pulling myself back up onto the window to hang my head out in the night air. This time, he didn't touch me.

I liked the guy already.

Too bad flashing lights and sirens had to ruin the fun.

Or maybe it wouldn't…

-x-


	9. MEMORY LANE

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 9: MEMORY LANE**

"Don't slow down."

Edward's eyes franticly found mine. "What?"

"Don't slow down," I repeated. "I'll get in trouble if he pulls me over."

"I have to pull over. It would be worse not to," he said, slowly putting the car into the side of the road.

"I knew you were a loser," I told him before escaping. I cracked the door open and fled.

Charlie's voice came next. "Bella!"

I didn't turn around and look. I ran as fast as I could, even jumping the ditch to give the forest a try in the dark. But somehow, just as I headed up the incline to the forest, Charlie was there behind me.

I was yanked and thrown down into the ditch, pinned in two seconds. His knee in the middle of my back kept me in place as the mud sunk deep into my clothes. I coughed. "You're crazy."

"No, you are—that's an offence what you just did! Running from a cop is illegal!" he yelled directly into my right ear. I didn't say anything back. That left him with no options but to pull me off the ground and yank me towards his SUV. He shoved me in the back of it, where I'm sure the classiest of class have been. Glad I was apart of the show.

He slammed the door with a furry, and I watched while he made his way to the loser who decided to give in. I couldn't hear what Charlie was yelling, but his face sure contorted a few different times to show his anger at the boy.

Good.

_**Edward Cullen**_

"If I ever see you near her again," Charlie said, leaning into the side of my car, "_I'll kill you myself_."

I nodded. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't give me that! It's bullshit!"

"I know, but I was just giving her a ride home."

He leaned away from me and looked down the road and then back at me. "You're headed in the wrong direction, champ."

I stared down the road. _So I was_.

"She's not going to be the next _you_—I'll make sure of it."

"Well you already said so yourself —she's a lot like me. We're the same kind…" I wasn't sure how Charlie'd react to that. I listened to the knobs in Charlie's head spin, drinking it slowly until he decided he didn't like the taste of pure fact.

Charlie shook his head. "No you're not."

"Well she's not like you."

"She's not like you either. She's one of a kind."

"We all are. And you need to remember that when you're chasing her around. She can't help being like this. It's in the nature—"

"You don't think I know this?" he said before taking a swipe at my car. He kicked the side of my door.

"Hey! Watch it!"

He continued on. "Just because I didn't grow into this _situation_ doesn't mean I don't know what she's going through."

I sighed. I had to disagree with him. "No Charlie. That's where you're wrong. You don't know what she's going through." I stopped for a moment to gather my thoughts. He waited, his face not exactly too thrilled to listen. "It's torturous ever so slowly morphing into a bloodsucker. You're bite was _easy_ compared to the process she's up for."

He smiled, making fun of me. "Is that so?" he asked harshly, mocking me in his head.

"You were only ever one or the other—human or vampire—where she's going to be both at one point. It's the worst feeling in the world, and you can't _not_ want to kill yourself." I stopped, staring into space, remembering the white noise I had heard the night I felt it all weigh in on me. "Then the deals done."

Charlie wouldn't understand though. He never would. Instead, he just smiled his menacing smile, and then pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck. He didn't know what to make of this. "Well I'm making sure that won't happen."

"Sure. Whatever you say," I told him. He was too caught up in his own head to ever understand, too familiar with death and the way it takes and keeps taking. I looked away from him, my way of telling him I was over with this.

He wasn't. "What I say goes. And I mean it for you too, Cullen. _Stay. Away_."

"I will," I told him just before he left me. But where my words said no, my mind screamed otherwise. I knew this night wouldn't be the final night of seeing the girl, for something had happened to me in the minutes, maybe even seconds, of knowing her.

I had fallen in love.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

It was 3:30am. I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking of the night and how it went wrong.

But for a night with as much downfall, somehow, I wasn't entirely put off by it. I wasn't upset. I wasn't angry. Hell, I couldn't even be bothered about being pulled back home like a loser. Nope. I didn't care at all, simply because I was thinking about something else—someone else.

Edward Cullen, the little doctor's troubled son, had ruthlessly driven into a vacant spot in my mind, where he would stay for the entire night. I thought about his sideways grin, his dishevelled hair, and his sleek muscles, everything I overlooked before, but unconsciously remembered for later. His car was nice too, and he sure knew how to drive it.

Too bad he was a chicken. I hate chicken. It's slimy and only bearable if it's deep fried, which is never good for you even if you pretend you deserve it.

I don't deserve him. I may be a loner, but taking in a fellow downer isn't apart of my duties. I fly solo for reasons like tonight. I don't need a doctor's son who follows the law to keep me on the right side of the road. He's the reason why I'm "grounded"—so lame it kills me.

Charlie gave me my sentencing a few hours ago. No computer. No TV. No friends. The last one wasn't hard. It was a given for me my entire life. But Charlie had left out one vital that should have been included for his sake. There was no out of bounds for the outside world, and that meant hello dark sky, hello moon, and hello stars—_if_ they were still out at this time in the morning.

And don't fear for me, Argentina, because Charlie left twenty minutes ago, working a backshift. Apparently he lives in the frame of mind that I have been _so embarrassed_ by deceiving him that I will at least give it up for a little while. He had a lot to learn, and I'd be his teacher. I might need to schedule a sub though because I planed on being out a lot.

It looked crisp this morning through the foggy glass of my bedroom window. I dug through my military bag, something I picked up ironically from the salvation army, and found a piece of men's plaid and a thicker hoodie to throw under it. Jeans and a pair of blackened chucks were my only other option of attire for the bottom half, and then I was out of the house.

I ran through the creepy forest and didn't trip once. I was too scared to look around. I just ran straight to that neighbour's house, searching for the 'x', which was the shed of course. When I was in front of it, I shoved my body through the broken window, landing with several loud thumps before I looked up, still on my hands and knees, and saw what would make my heart content. The bike smiled back at me, feeling my anticipation, and tried to sparkle some of its dirty finish back at me.

I got up off the floor when the weight of the key still in my jean pocket became too heavy, forcing me to pull it from its hiding place and shove it into the ignition—where it belonged. I exhaled, smiling big, and just for the fun of it gave the key a little turn again, only to have it barely rumble before it clicked back to nothing.

I sighed. "Don't worry kid," I told it. "Help is on the way." And it really was. I had stolen things out of locked places before. It's fine not having the key because it's all in the hinges.

Like all tool sheds, this one had tools, which is where I found a Phillip's screwdriver and got to work on unscrewing the heads of the screws from the door. After ten minutes, all three bolts were rolling around on the floor, and the door had been turned into a ramp to get my one and only out of its prison.

"Hold on tight," I told my bike just as I lifted it from the wall. Slowly, with the keys still in the ignition, I pushed it down the door, parking it on the grass using its functioning kickstand. That's when I was able to take a _real_ step back and admire the beauty.

With the help of the moonlight, the bike gleamed its silver parts, but where the paint was chipped off, it was a plain, matte grey tone. The bike was in fair enough condition, didn't have any missing parts, and probably only needed a few liquids pushed through it to get it running like it was used it.

_Time for anything…_I moved the bike down the driveway quickly after I decided that it couldn't wait another night alone. Charlie had a garage attached to the house, which if he was a real man it would be filled with tools and more importantly, a little gasoline. But when I made it down Charlie's driveway, and opened the side door of the garage, I wasn't expecting something to be inside—well, something big.

A car was off to the left, covered by a thin, dusty sheet that told me the engine beneath it wasn't appreciated. The sheet followed sleek curves and could only be covering a car that would hold two people, so most likely a _very _expensive sports car. Sure, I may not know cars as well as I know motorcycles, dirt bikes, and four wheelers, but I do know that a sheet covering any form of transportation is an atrocity to the vehicle—might as well give it the middle finger, I believe.

But I couldn't do anything about it at the moment because I had my own case waiting outside to save from a long drought. And Charlie's garage looked to be well supplied with tools and materials that could save my dehydrated friend. It took only a quick glance to find the red tank sitting in the corner, labelled gas in case some moron would put anything else in a gas tank. I ran over to it, lifted it by the handle and slowly wobbled it outside to the waiting patient. I didn't bother with the oil, because regular car oil in a dirt bike would be the biggest disrespect for its little engine.

I opened the gas tank on the bike after I opened the couple litre tank of gas, and with a little strength, I was able to hold it steady while clear, liquid life poured into the hungry throat of my dirt bike. The night air, trees and gas smelled like freedom; maybe that's why my hands couldn't stop from shaking. But I got most of the gas in without spilling any, and then put the tank back in the garage where Charlie wouldn't recognize any disturbances. Before I knew it, the dirt bike was ready for anything.

Well, _almost._

I ran back into the house and into my room because I couldn't start this expedition without the one thing that's been through just as much hard stuff as me. I don't have many possessions, but I'd rather have nothing than give up this one, certain item.

After throwing my bag onto my bed and diving into it, I pulled out the bundle of cloth that hid my possession from nosy intruders. And instead of unwrapping the round, watermelon size package there, I ran back outside to open it there.

I slid onto the bike in a timely fashion, memorizing the feel of having too much power beneath me. The key was still in the ignition and maybe that's why I couldn't wait any longer. With the clutch in, I turned the key, and just like I pictured, the bike roared to life. I leaned forward with the bundle in my lap and dared to give a few revs of the engine, the sound echoing in the distance putting a smirk on my face.

I couldn't rip away the fabric from the bundle fast enough. But when it fell to the ground, I was left staring at a matte, black helmet, full face coverage, and tinted windshield. When I turned the helmet around, the back revealed my signature skull and crossbones design that had been spray painted on with a stencil and red, glow in the dark paint, the drips showing my lack of artistry. Inside the helmet, my worn out leather and duck tape riding gloves waited to be pulled on, and when I did, I finally knew one thing was left.

The helmet fit just as I remembered it would. It was a snug, relaxing fit that shielded me from the world so that I could fly by without a fear of dying or being recognized. I was a masked crusader, and with one more rev of the engine and a flick of the kickstand, the bike swallowed up the driveway, and then there was only road and more road.

For once, the day was going to be a perfect.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

-x-


	10. FELLOW DELINQUENTS

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 10: FELLOW DELINQUENTS**

I passed Charlie on the road.

Amazingly enough, he didn't even stop me for driving on a main road with a dirt bike. He just flashed his lights and kept on going. If he had of known it was me behind the bars of the bike, he probably would have acted differently.

But he didn't recognize me, thankfully, not that he would. I could be any person and any gender under the boyish clothes and tinted helmet. I felt different too. Knowing that I had a hidden identity from the world relaxed me. I could do anything right now.

With adrenaline pumping through my chest and down my throat, I watched his SUV disappear down the road, and once it was out of sight I geared up into top speed, taking the curves of the road at a much too dangerous speed.

I always drive fast. It's the only way to drive and the only way the fear can tickle your throat.

I could die, and that fact alone made my heart quicken. It was thrilling. Life was on one side, death on the other, and I was literally driving along the line, a little piece of metal the determining factor on which way I would go.

But as I stared out into the road that was lit up by the morning sun coming through the branches of the trees, my eye happened to see something out of the ordinary on the side of the road. I slowed down and did a sharp u-turn, my right foot hitting the pavement when I stopped in front of the ditch where I had seen the hidden gem.

It was a little dirt path half covered by branches, and the ditch in front of it was covered in tire tracks. Something meant to look inconspicuous began to stick out like a man in a women's bathroom.

I shoved my bike down into the ditch and it shuttered violently against the pull of the little hill. But with a little will power, the engine got the bike up into the forest path. It was a sign of how weak this bike really was, which only made me feel sad that I couldn't really go all out on it quite yet.

There was still reason to smile though because this path was definitely something great. At first, it was only about as wide as a foot, but then it became more pronounced and grew wide enough to possibly fit a coupe sized vehicle. The bed of the forest was so loose that every time I would exaggerate on a turn, the dirt would spray behind me like a snow boarder after landing a wild trick.

I had never been in such a fresh and natural feeling forest before. I don't know what it was, but even behind the tint of my helmet, I felt that it had this glow about it that made everything look pure amongst the mouldy moss, rough bark, and wet mulch. The smell alone of sap and dew could wake up any sad soul, but it would be the surprisingly loud noises coming from the high points of the trees and low in the forest floor that shook me—apparently the animals liked it here as well. Birds coughing their song to their neighbours and squirrels hissing back competed with the sound of my engine, and twice two rabbits with eyes like marbles jumped out from the edges of the path, acting as pylons to make my ride a little more interesting.

And then, after five minutes of riding the same path, and then going left on a fork, the dirt path led to something I didn't think I would ever see in the tall forest, let alone _Forks_.

A clearing, lit from behind with the rising sun, covered in old tracks, tires and dried up mud, slowly revealed itself. And as my eyes took in the feast, I registered the recognizable shapes of man made hills that could only be for one thing.

Dirt Bike jumps.

Huge mounds of dirt in all different shapes clustered the fifty-meter square area, with running starts leading up to them, and a small circular pit for joy riders to spin their tires in. It was a decent size bike park, and from the looks of the muddy slopes and branches scattered across the grounds, it wasn't being loved.

_I would love it_ though I decided as I pulled up near a mound of dirt and surveyed the area. It was a small lot for a bike park, but it was in a prime area if one wasn't supposed to be on a dirt bike…like me. It was too perfect. The place was a god sent. Nothing could compare to the feeling I had right then in knowing I had a place to reside and love. I decided that this would be my home, and once I had my bike fully checked up and tuned, it would be ready for the slopes.

The decision was made, and with new hope in my heart, I gave one last rev of the bike that put a smile on my face. But instead of putting the bike in gear and giving the pit a few spins, a head rush like I had never before experienced in my life came over me. My first thought was to open my eyes as wide as I could to avoid the tunnel vision that was coming fast, but when that didn't work I quickly pulled my left leg over the bike to join my right, just before both the bike and I collapsed onto the ground.

The purr of the engine and the sound of rain on leaves were the last things that came to me before the blackness of my eyes came through to all my senses.

-x-

_**11pm**_

I felt hands touching me when I came back to life. They were rolling me over and then shaking me so hard my teeth were rattling. I was cold and my clothes felt thick and wet against my skin from the rain that was pelting me in the face and causing my hair to stick to my face. I was scared to open my eyes, already wondering where my helmet had gone and what had happened.

But I did open my eyes, only to fear what I saw in front of me.

It was night and the moon showed me the figure of a man standing over me. I couldn't see any details from the darkness, and I couldn't think clearly from knowing something terrible had happened to me. I recoiled enough to slug away in my wet clothes the first time, but the second time, he came two inches from my face.

"Eh lit'le beaut!" a snaggle toothed old man with long, thin, grey hair on the sides of his head slurred in front of my face. His wide, dark eyes stared into my own, and in the process of my stomach turning over, I did what any lost girl would do.

I screamed.

Just as abruptly, the man was pushed out of the way and replaced with a different figure, a face I couldn't see in the darkness of the woods. "Don't be like that," he instructed me. His voice was young, but it didn't make me feel any comfort. "If anything," he stated, "you're the one in the wrong."

I _was_ in the wrong—the wrong place at the wrong time, that is. I started thinking of the worst case scenarios, because that's what you do. I would die at age seventeen, never getting to be somebody, left with a last name that didn't mean anything to me. Charlie would eventually find my body, raped and bloody, and he would be blamed for ill-parenting, even though I had promised him that he would never have to be my parent…

"Look at 'err!" the old man behind the figure yelled. "She's 'bout as scurred as they come," he announced to anyone who wanted to listen. And listeners he had. I didn't realize I was in front of an audience, but once the old man laughed, other voices mocked his harsh cackle. My eyes moved away from the dark figure, where I heard and eventually saw my audience circled around me on the outskirts of the park. The metal of their bikes and the plastic of their helmets bounced the light of the moon towards me, making me remember my own bike and helmet, which were off to my left, lying just as miserable as me in the rain. Hopefully both our fates wouldn't be grim.

I looked away from my helmet, nervous then in thinking of all the other possible garments these boys could remove from me as well. I swallowed hard before I finally spoke next. "What's goin' on." I didn't have enough guts to make it a threatening question, so I threw it out into the world as a blank statement with endless possibilities so that maybe it would have a chance at being answered.

And it was. "Saving your life, possibly," someone said from the audience. Laughter followed, as did a few whistles. I cursed myself for not only being a girl, but also being a scared one.

The figure in front of me shushed them, and surprisingly after a moment, they did quiet down. It was just the pelting of the rain and my heavy breathing that followed until the figure stepped closer to me.

He spoke in a dark manner next. "Not only was your lifeless little body trespassing on property that isn't yours, but you stole from the wrong person tonight, _honey_."

My eyes caught the evidence lying next to my helmet. "The bike? No. I just found it."

The laughter following my voice made me jump to my feet to defend myself, but I was then shoved backwards, my back hitting another boy's chest. Rough arms wrapped around me to hold me in place. "_Don't touch me_! Get away from me!" I screamed, but the more I fought, the more laughter came. I watched the old man in front of me making strange movements with his arms and legs, his excitement apparent. I could no longer see his face, nor could I see any of theirs, but not seeing what I was up against scared me more.

The ring leader finally slithered into the moonlight to reveal what he was made of. He looked like a tough kid on the streets, his three days growth telling me he didn't care about his appearance, but his strategically placed bandana thrown through his dark, messy hair contradicting his non-chalant look. He had an edge to him, something he probably wasn't born with. He looked evil and innocent at once—someone you _really_ couldn't trust. "_And why wouldn't I touch you?_ You touched my bike. It didn't want to be touched either. So I think you owe me." He reminded me of James, my old foster brother, or at least if he glared a bit harder and punched me in the face, _then_ he would be him.

I tugged my arms out from the boy's grip behind me, a spur of the moment tactic, but then another figure shot out and grabbed me before I could make a run for it. Now, not only one, but _two_ boys held me in front of the bandana boy again. I tried defending myself with words instead, which would only make me look more stupid. "What?" I said defensively, a glare on my eyes. "It was abandoned!" But the bandana boy was already shaking his head, determined to ignore my side. I tried again anyway. "It was in a shed. _No one_ owns it!" I spoke too much apparently, because just as I finished, the boy made sure to shut me up.

A quick spin of his body flung the bandana boy's arm at my face, the back part of his fist laying directly onto my cheekbone. The pain shot up to my left eye, and I knew it would leave it black. After the sharp pain, I was still holding my ground. I had to admit, I had been hit harder before. And while I focused on his gaze, I determined that he wasn't so much a boy at all, but a deranged young man who wanted power and something to stand on top of. He could get a box and stand on that, for all I cared, because I wasn't someone who kneeled.

He leaned forward with his arms crossed to be dramatic. "A _locked_ shed," he informed me, winning that case.

My arms were still pinned tight beneath the two boys grip, and even though I saw the end, I was foolish enough to think I was still walking out of this one fine. "Well fine," I admitted. "Take it back. It's a piece of shit anyway."

The old man snickered and leaned over to hurl out a laugh, only to produce a coughing fit that stopped with a hit to the back from the leader of the group. The bandana boy then gazed at me with a funny look. "So you're going to give me back my own bike—how thoughtful." The boys around him laughed, throwing out commands for payback. He seemed to take all of their hollering into consideration while his eyes traced over my face. "Like I said," he reminded me, "_you_ owe _me_." He reached out and picked up a strand of my wet hair and dropped it back onto my face. I stared with a solid face, acting like I wasn't bothered by anything. And although I was tough on the outside, when it came down to it, I knew I was soft on the inside. I couldn't take shit from a group this large. I was outnumbered. I was a coward. I knew I would have quite the reason to hate my life if this night brought me back to a morning.

I prepared for battle and inhaled a deep breath, watching the intrigued look on his face. He was circling me, and every time he came back to my face he peered his eyes into mine, until he finally stopped in front. I struggled against the grip on my arms one last time, even though it was useless. I looked away from him and back over at the old man. He had stopped his tribal dancing and was standing off to the side, perfectly still. _Too_ still. He filled us in though. He pointed behind me with a shaky hand, his mouth unable to get the words out of his head. His arm just shook, until he turned and disappeared down the path.

It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen, and apparently the others thought so too. They laughed at him harder than they laughed at me, but it only lasted briefly until all eyes were in my direction again. There was a lump in my throat, but my head told me to give it at least one more try. "I know a police officer. I'll tell him everything," I threatened. More laughter only followed. The leader looked over his shoulder at his buds and enjoyed the joke with them, and it was at that moment that something incredible happened.

Without warning, the two boys that had been holding me tightly were ripped away and tossed onto their backs beside me. Their cries of pain shocked me awake. I turned abruptly to see who was ambushing the group, but only the dark forest revealed itself. Even though this scared me, I didn't question it because I just wanted to get away. I jumped over the two boys and headed for my bike before my dreams were crushed again. The leader wasn't done with me apparently. He cut me off with a swift kick to my legs, tripping me onto my stomach. I rolled onto my back and stared up at him like a kid caught stealing candy. Again. He was shocked at my flee, completely unaware that I hadn't been apart of it at all. His angry glare held me in place.

But then, like a director of the scene had called cut, the leader of the group just seemed to freeze on the spot. I watched his blank, threatening look disappear into shock and then fear, to the point where he wasn't even aware of me anymore. I shrunk back, moving slowly so that he wouldn't notice.

Someone from the back of the group set us straight. "Maks—it's the creature!"

I hadn't even registered the words completely before bikes were starting up. That's when I decided I was free, and I didn't think twice before I made a mad dash towards my own bike for a clean getaway. I almost made it before one of the guys sped by with his arm out and close-lined me in the throat, the impact tossing me to the ground for the hundredth time and choking the air out of me. Bikes fled past me in a hurry, and all I could do was fidget awkwardly to try and get out of the way while the rain pelted me in the face. I tried to take huge mouthfuls of air, but every time I took something in, it quickly left, leaving me like a fish on dry land. Eventually though, thirty seconds of pain and engines roaring in the distance left me with enough oxygen to get on my hands and knees and cough out my frustrations. That's when I began to think.

I used to think I had seen it all, but tonight proved me wrong. Schoolyard fist fights and pulling girl's hair couldn't compare to a biker-gang attack, something so wild it could only play on a screen. Not to mention the fact my whole day had been wiped clear. I had literally waken up to trouble, and I couldn't remember why. I had no recollection of my day, and then my night was full of things only story tellers made up. Maybe that's why I was shaking—no, it was just the cold rain pelting down my neck. I needed to calm down, but my ass was soaked and my jeans only made my limbs shake, making me feel even more nervous.

Somehow though, I had made it out alive and mostly without any damage. I could tell Charlie I had lost track of time, and everything could possibly be okay. I decided everything really was fine, and not even that traumatic. I could lie to myself until the morning, and then I could re-think my stance on involving Charlie. I was fine...or at least, I knew I _could be_ fine.

That all changed when I tilted my head up.

I wiped the dripping water off my face because I honestly thought a concussion was just doing things to me. But the two sets of red eyes on the edge of the woods gleamed through the moonlight for a second longer before they disappeared into the woods. That was enough for me. I could take on a group of boys apparently, but super natural bullshit was too much to be rational.

I screamed so loud I didn't even sound like myself. The panic cursing through my body shot me forward onto my face, where I slipped, fell, got back up, and then decided to disregard my bike and run for it—until I fell again. I tripped over the damn bike and flew onto my back, banging my head against the ground in the process

The lights turned out.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

_**(Earlier that day)**_

Even though Charlie had warned me not to, I couldn't help but want to go and see his girl again.

The moment he had taken her away from me, I knew I was going to have some trouble living without knowing her. I kept thinking about her during the rest of the night. I'd see random things in passing and be reminded of her. But no one could measure up to the guts she had inside of her. Not only was she gorgeous and funny, but she was charming and brave. She literally had nothing to lose, and I could relate well to that. Bella was a gem in a stupid small town, and if she got in the wrong hands, she could be shaped into something she didn't want to be. She had secrets she didn't even know she had, which was dangerous.

I wanted to be with her and to be there for her. I understood the life of a teenager, the heartache of not knowing what you were doing, and especially the feelings of something strange going on inside your body that you couldn't control. These were the things I thought about while I stayed cooped up inside my house to prevent myself from going out and finding her. Hell, she made me feel less alone, and nobody had ever been able to do that for me.

I couldn't leave the house though. Charlie had informed Carlisle to make sure I understood how I was supposedly ruining her chances, and after a long argument I had agreed to stay away for awhile.

But after five o'clock rolled around, I was chomping at the bit to get outside, yet I knew I shouldn't in case my path led to someone I wasn't supposed to see. I had to prove I was capable of keeping myself under control, that this girl didn't have an effect on my behaviour and I none on hers. We all knew the truth though, and that's probably why the phone rang at nine, no doubt Charlie wondering if I had gone near his cage today. I would be both happy and sad to tell him no.

That wasn't exactly what the call was about though. Carlisle entered my room without knocking, catching the tennis ball that I had been bouncing for four hours straight. He had his phone in his hand. "Where is she, Edward?"

I sat up on my couch and looked at him weirdly. "What?"

He put the phone back up to his ear. "He doesn't know what you're talking about."

Then it hit me. I jumped up and grabbed the phone from Carlisle. "I haven't seen her at all today!" I yelled through the phone in my defence. But then I realized what he was saying. He had lost track of the kid again. That blew my mind.

Charlie told me to shut up first, and then he explained the case. "I can't find Bella. I came home to an empty house, the school said she hadn't been there again, and I searched all over town—no one's seen her, so I assumed you had done something stupid again."

I punched the side of the couch lamely to release whatever was building up inside me. "No, she's capable of stupid all on her own."

"Apparently," he said, his voice strained. He probably felt like an idiot for trusting her on her own again. He should know better. "I..._we_ need to find her."

"No shit Sherlock. I'll search the town again, circle around, and meet you on your street."

He hung up. I threw the phone out the window and followed after it.

Carlisle yelled after me, but I was long gone before I could hear him

-x-

I checked the bench at school where I had first seen her, and then I checked the local hangout around town where rotten teenagers melted into the pavement, but she wasn't anywhere. And after meeting Charlie at the end of his street he told me about the Larson's lot and it having the majority of her scent. It finally became clear why we had been coming across her scent in random areas but unable to find her at the end of it.

She was on that damn bike. By now, she could be anywhere. I had never felt so defeated—a teenage girl was giving us the biggest headache.

We ran down Charlie's road without any clue to where we were headed. The rain pelting us in the face only made us more agitated and pissed off. But just when Charlie was about to give up and call it in to professionals who had the grounds and tactics for search parties several states wide, something caught my eye.

I stopped abruptly and cleared the ditch, revealing the path that Charlie apparently hadn't ever noticed either. "There are tread marks all over this place," I said before entering the path. Charlie was on my tail as I sped through the woods, and I knew we had found her when I heard minds, voices and laughter.

I just wasn't expecting it to be at the expense of her.

-x-

When I saw her through the darkness, her clothes were completely soaked and her arms were pinned behind her back by two boys. I didn't know whether to laugh or break things up. I wasn't expecting the situation I was staring at, and I knew the police officer behind me didn't either.

Charlie held me back from doing anything though, his hand hard on my shoulder to keep us hidden on the outskirts of the forest. "_What the hell is going on?"_ he hissed at me, acting like I had something to do with this.

I ripped my arm away from him and gave him a stupid look. "_How would I know?_" I growled back. "I'm _forbidden_ to see her." The voices out in the clearing cut our bickering off.

"_Like I said, you owe me_," a tall figure in front of the girl said. I stepped closer and ignored Charlie's grip on my shoulder again. I recognized the boy's face from newspaper articles on his petty teenage crimes. _Maksim Smirnov. _His name had red flags all over it. As he circled his prey I couldn't help but think how incredible it was that Charlie's delinquent kid had already crossed paths with the town's delinquent.

Charlie and I watched the scene with eyes so wide that the homeless man they always carried around with them noticed us and fleeted the scene quickly. His leaving only made the scene burst out into laughter. The girl decided to hold her ground though, confused by his departure. "I know a police officer. I'll tell him everything," she warned them lamely. I looked at Charlie's face when they laughed at her next, his eyes so dark that I wondered if he was even alright.

Apparently, he wasn't. He jumped out and removed the figures from the girl, and by the time she looked behind her, he had already pulled back into the forest where she couldn't see us. The look on her face, both shock and relief, calmed me down, but then things just went wrong from there. She hadn't thought quickly enough, and before she could get even close to getting away, her feet were taken out from under her and she was on the ground in front of Maksim. This time, Charlie took a step closer to watch, and that's when he completely gave us away.

"Maks—it's the creature!" someone yelled from one of the dirt mounds.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Everyone fleeted. They jumped on their bikes and pulled out of the park like they had seen a ghost—Charlie's red eyes did have that effect. Charlie's kid even joined in the fleet, trying her hand at an escape, but before she could even come close to her bike, some hot head decided to get in the last laugh, close-lining her like a junior high kid.

Charlie looked back at me and held up his hand, warning me to stay in my place. I chuckled. "Take your own advice. You just caused a riot."

"_Yes_," he said. "Because they seemed _so_ unfamiliar with this experience, _Cullen._" His sarcasm bit me in the neck, but I didn't care. It was true—I _had_ tormented the group a few times, giving birth to _the creature_. I loved it, and thought it was hilarious, but Charlie didn't.

"She's up and okay," Charlie whispered, moving a branch out of the way to watch Bella closely. Sure enough, she was coughing up some air and looking okay, considering what she was up against. She hadn't even showed fear—

Her head snapped up in our direction, taking in the darkness and what the moon could reveal with it. It happened so fast that Charlie and I couldn't move quick enough to duck down behind the branches again. Judging from the sound coming from her lungs, we had done some damage. Her scream was pure fear and it sent a shock straight up my spine, filling my head with regret for the human being that had too much innocence to be taken away.

"Damn it," Charlie cursed, punching a tree. But all we could do was watch from the sidelines as the panicked deer reacted like she had lost her head. She was all over the place, slipping in the mud and back on her feet again, but it was the final stumble that sent her airborne and smashed her head into the ground.

I jumped out of the woods when I saw that, and when I reached her side, I wasn't surprised to see her knocked out cold. I looked over at Charlie, who was covering his chin with his hand, contemplating.

"What now?" I asked him, wiping the rain out of my hair.

After a blank stare and a few seconds, he half answered me. "I have no idea," he admitted.

I let out a long gust of air and shook my head at the situation because that really was the case with this girl—

No one knew what to do with her.

Maybe I could change that.

-x-


	11. LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 11: ****LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES**

_**Edward Cullen**_

"We can't leave her here," I said, carefully sliding my arms beneath her body and picking her up onto my lap. I held her close to my body, curling my shoulders to protect her from the rain. She looked like a porcelain doll, only with blue lips, a butchered eye, and mud splattered across her face.

"Here," Charlie came closer with his arms held out, "give her to me."

I stood up with her body crushed into mine, still keeping her head next to my heart. "I got her," I told him, but when he tried to take her away from me, I turned my back to him and watched him over my shoulder. "I said I got her." I don't know why I was being hostile—_it was her scent_, I told myself, that made me act mad.

Charlie grabbed the collar of my leather jacket and pulled it tightly into his fist, yanking me with Bella towards his face. All three of us looked like we were in a huddle, trying to figure out which play was next. Apparently, Charlie thought he was the quarter-back. _"Give her to me." _His voice wasn't a growl, nor was it a hiss, but it had a threatening human tone that angry people—or parents—had when they were worried. He slid his arms under mine, and even though it didn't feel right, I released the limp body from my grasp. My arms fell to my sides, without a purpose anymore. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop staring at her face, upside down over Charlie's arm, her lips slightly parted. She looked like she was fast asleep, not knocked out. At least she was safe.

"What about the bike?" I asked, even though it was the least of my worries. I felt uncomfortable watching Charlie walk away with the girl in his arms, not nearly taking as much care in holding her as I did. He held her away from his body, her legs flailing with every step that he took, her head hanging over his arm, her hair sprawled everywhere. The rain hit her face on an angle, putting what looked like tears on her face, traveling backwards until they disappeared into her hair.

"Just take it back to the house," Charlie growled, not even looking over his shoulder. He was in vampire mode, extremely defensive and protective all the sudden. I knew where he was coming from because I felt it too, only I had no right like he did. She wasn't _my_ kid. "I'll do something with it later." He left me alone, standing in the rain to stare after him.

I picked up the bike that had gotten the girl into all this mess, and then walked it over to her helmet, picking it up without even looking at it. I turned the key, barely starting the bike, hopped on, and then drove it to Charlie's, realizing that this piece of junk bike was all the girl had.

It didn't have to be that way though.

I propped the bike against the garage door and slipped into the house while the door was still open. Charlie was carrying her upstairs, and I intended to follow. I barely had my hand on the railing before Charlie spun with a warning glare to back off, but in the process, Bella's head hit the wall.

When her eyes flew open, scary wide—like a scared child during a storm—I predicted what was going to happen next. Only Charlie didn't. He was oblivious to the wild animal he had just woken up. "_Cullen get the h_—" he tried to threaten, but the creature in his arms had been taken off guard by her situation, and settled for doing back flips to get out of it, quite literally. Like an acrobat, she twirled out of his arms, and by the time Charlie realized it, he had only enough arm length to grab her wrist. The rest of her body flew over him and landed on the stairs with a hard thump, while her arm stay twisted above her head. She let him know her pain.

"_Jesus fuck_!" Her voice rang through the house, and I imagine it carried to the yard, where neighbours would be wondering what had just been killed in the Swan household. It clearly got to Charlie, who released her just as quickly as he grabbed her. Her body dragged down the rest of the stairs, her voice rattling with every step she hit, until I stepped up and stopped her with my hands on her knees.

"Are you alright?" I asked as soon as she stopped, taking her wrist lightly in the palm of my hand while I watched her eyes focus into my own. She didn't know what was going on.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

When I opened my eyes, the world was upside down, and that's why I flipped out. Before I knew it, I was falling, and hardwood floor smacked into my back and ass, almost topping the pain of my shoulder being twisted out of its socket. I swore like an animal and saw red until the boy from the other night—Edward—was leaning over me, his eyes blaring into mine.

He asked me something, but I only saw his lips moving before I was retreating again, and bumping into another set of legs. I rammed my shoulder into the wall, a picture falling behind me, glass shattering. My shoulder popped back into place during the process. My heart was on fire.

"Everyone needs to calm down." The voice was behind me belonged to the cop that had been trained in wild situations like this. I didn't feel like calming down though. It wasn't possible.

I laughed at the thought, found my feet beneath me, and tried to get past the beast at the top of the stairs. Charlie side stepped in front of me, placing his hand on my shoulder. I hissed. "You just dislocated that shoulder so you might want to rethink touching me—" I didn't have to finish before he dropped it. "How did I—"

"Where the hell were you tonight!" Charlie wasn't practicing his preaching. He wasn't calm—he was full blown yelling, and in the midst of things, he had grabbed the top of my arm again, forcing me to look him in the eyes.

I stuttered, trying to recount my steps and how I had even gotten back to his house, but images of flying bikes and spinning boys kept my head tangled. "Well I—"

Charlie cut me off. "Edward Cullen found you in one of the bike parks down the road passed out," he interjected. When I looked over my shoulder at the boy standing at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes just locked with mine, taking any possible words out of my mouth. He stared at me with nervous eyes, like a student without any solutions to the problems on a sheet of paper. Charlie shook my arm, forcing me to avert away from the bottom of the stairs and back to him. "Well? What were you doing—you weren't in school, no one's seen you all day—"

He was cut off by Edward momentarily. "Charlie that's enough—"

The cop wasn't one to be told what to do though. He cut right back in, still angry. "And where the _hell_ on earth did you learn to drive that crotch rocket, let alone think you can drive it while you're living under the same roof as _me_?"

I stared into space, but when the motorcycle came back into the picture, so did the rest of my day. I remembered the boys in the woods, the fight being taken from me, and finally, the red eyes. I stared wide eyed into the space in front of Charlie, and let my back fall against the wall to take my weight. I shook my head, scared to admit anything.

"What were you doing there Bella." He wasn't even asking me. He was interrogating me, leaving a threat at the end of the sentence to push me to tell.

"Looking around." I focused on his face for a brief second, and then looked away again, nervous he could see the answers through my eyes.

He sighed and then cleared his throat, directing it to Edward. It got his attention. "We've got it covered from here," he told him rudely.

But I didn't object to it. I just watched him take a step back, and before he shut the door, he looked at me with raised eyebrows, like he was unimpressed or mocking something. I stared back at the wall when the door shut, where a picture of trees was placed carefully on the wall.

"Bella."

"What!"

"What happened tonight?" His voice scared me. It wasn't accusing me anymore. It was a listening voice, mixed with concern, understanding, and worry—unfamiliar territory I could never learn to walk under.

And then I saw the red eyes again in my mind, a sure sign I had gone mad. Maybe it was signs of my health declining—god, I hadn't even eaten in days, I hadn't slept in nights, and days were taking me into blankness. What did that mean? Something was desperately wrong with me, and knowing this, I didn't feel the urge to fix it. I had no reason to fix it.

But the worry was still there, and Charlie acknowledged it for me. "Are you okay Bella?"

I wasn't one who took hands when they were offered. If anything, offered help scared me more than anything because it insinuated that something was the matter in the first place. Instead of coming clean with the night's events, I admitted to stealing the bike, and only stealing the bike. "Fine—I stole the damn bike, crashed it, and that's all I know." My stomach tightened in defence, ready for the blow that Charlie could throw if he saw through my half-ass lie.

But he didn't. He spoke quickly and sternly. "Well, do something like that again, and I'll call child services and have them take care of you instead of giving you a second chance," he said, going back to his mad-at-me tone. I was grateful for his anger, but I was fearful of his threat. It actually worried me a little to have to leave a place that was so nice. I couldn't fuck it up, and in that moment, I decided to start over fresh.

I nodded, agreeing weakly but not defiantly, and moved passed him to get to my room down the hall. I thought I was in the clear when I touched my door handle, only to have him suddenly right behind me again, breathing down my neck. I jumped back when he said my name behind me. "What?" I said out of breath, the hairs on the back of my neck raising.

"You're not going anywhere for awhile," he told me.

"Okay." It was all I had left to say, and maybe a weekend indoors was good for me.

He locked his dark eyes with my own. "For _real_ this time."

"Fine." I pretended I didn't care. Maybe I didn't care.

"Good," he said, moving away from me.

"Great," I said, smiling just to smile. When he walked away, I shut the door behind me. But even though I said it was great, my stomach began mixing my regret and insecurities into the emptiness of the pit of my stomach, and eventually, it was a huge knot that tore at my insides, preventing me from falling asleep when I fell back onto the mattress.

Or at least, that's why I pretended I couldn't sleep.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Charlie saw me standing on the back deck, but he pretended he didn't. He just walked around his kitchen, throwing dishes in the sink, and when nothing else was left to toss around, he folded his fingers on the back the back of his neck, and then finally looked my way. He glared at me, of course, but I still signalled for him to come outside anyway. After a few more moments of relentless pacing, he finally did make it out the sliding doors and into the crisp atmosphere of the night.

"What the hell was that back there Charlie?" I asked with my arms wide out. "That was too far—you scared her off!" I accused him.

Charlie thought he had just as much grounds to yell though. "I did not!" he yelled back. "She's upstairs in her room and has accepted that she was in the wrong tonight."

I dropped my hands, dumbfounded at such a stupid claim. I shook my head in disbelief and anger at Charlie. He wasn't seeing the point—Bella wasn't in the wrong tonight! "What are you talking about! She can't help it—"

He interjected. "That's not true. She's still a teenager and they are still capable of stupid stuff. I don't remember you saying motorcycles and befriending wild boys was apart of the transformation process."

I decided to shock him with facts. "No it's not," I admitted. He chuckled, thinking he'd won. But I wasn't finished yet. "But the adrenaline that flows through her veins was the same as mine." Charlie walked over to the edge of the deck and gave me the floor, actually listening for once. His eyes gleamed red in the moonlight. "I didn't know what was going on, and I couldn't calm myself down. I just wanted to keep moving and get attention—I was in the county jail for weeks at a time, and the judge of the town had no idea what to do with me! And when I got out of trials, I hurt the people around me, hurt the people that weren't around me, and then ultimately hurt myself."

Charlie put his head down, knowing the end to my story without having to hear me say it. Thankfully, he cut in. "I get that Edward, I really do, but you didn't have guidance—"

"My parents couldn't have saved me, even if they had have lived." I knew that to be true. It wasn't in the cards for me to have any other life than this one—you couldn't run from your DNA, and Charlie was naïve to think this girl could. "Tonight was just a product of the madness that's headed her way Charlie, and for you to lock her up in her room and blame her is _wrong_."

"Oh yeah? Is that right?" he asked, mocking me. "Well since you are _so_ familiar with the teachings of _vampires,_" he hissed, "why don't _you_ tell me what I should do? Should I just let her out and run wild like you? Should I give up on her and let her try out more foster homes? Should I let her kill—"

"Jesus Charlie! Just relax!" I yelled at him. He shook his head and headed towards the sliding doors. I cut him off, but he shoved me out of the way. I shoved him in the back, forcing him into the house on my grounds instead of his, which pissed him off and brought him back outside, two inches from my face. I threw my idea at him. "Let me watch over her."

I can admit, it wasn't entirely thought through, this idea of mine, but I knew it was worth a try. I could be with her day in and out, teaching her what was headed her way, and maybe, just maybe, _then_ she could have a chance at survival—to stay human, if it were possible.

Charlie wasn't on the same page. In fact, we were so far between chapters that he decided to remind me he was way ahead of me. He grabbed me by the throat and shoved me up against the house, keeping me in place while he talked through clenched teeth. "Let me put this clearly for you so I don't want to have to say it again…I will _never_ see you near her again."

I knew there was no way that would happen, especially since more events like tonight were sure to come around soon enough, and then we would be joining forces again. I wouldn't avoid her—I couldn't avoid her now. I had felt the weight of her in my arms, and now that I knew what I was missing, I couldn't stand to have limp, pointless arms that couldn't help the girl find her way. There was no way I would never talk to her again either—there was so much to say, too much in fact! I wanted to tell her all about my life, and I wanted to know all about hers. Never in my life had I ever wanted someone else so badly…

"I don't hear an answer Edward," Charlie said, squeezing my throat. I stared at him in the face, watching the workings of his mind that told me he couldn't be any more serious with his threat, and that he intended to shield her from me as much as possible.

I nodded in order for him to let me go, but when he went back into the house without a final word, I still had the idea that this wouldn't be the last time I saw his kid again. He couldn't keep me from her, and I was willing to bet, he couldn't keep _her_ from _me_ either.

-x-


	12. DROPPED CALLS

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 12: DROPPED CALLS**

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I sat at my desk with the lights out and just the moonlight streaming through the curtains while I played with a pencil rolling up and down my desk. I made a game of it—roll the pencil across one side of the desk, catch it with one hand, roll it across the other side of the desk, catch it with the other hand. It was all I could do. I was entirely _not_ tired. Hell, why would I be? I only slept the entire day—for the second time in row!

The pencil slid off the edge of the desk and onto the carpet. I didn't move to pick it up. I sat, thinking, about everything. Previous foster homes, why my parents had thrown me away in the first place, why I even cared—

I slammed my hands down on the desk as hard as I could, rattling the jar of pencils so that they toppled over and spilled across my desk. Somehow I had a handful in my hand instantly, and chucked them at the far wall as hard as I could, the little pitiful scraping sounds irritating me more than anything. I stood quickly, the chair behind me falling backwards, and then I grabbed the laptop and held it above my head, threatening the audience I didn't have that I wasn't messing around.

It never got farther than the bed though, as I lightly chucked it onto the mattress, it not even bouncing off and breaking. I was a coward, it was a gift—like everything in the room. Not me though. I was a package no one wanted, and I finally knew why—I was messed up.

I yanked the roots of my hair, scratching my scalp for the answers to my fucked up situation. I was a walking zombie—a nightmare—and I hadn't even been dumped by my foster parent yet—sorry, foster _person_. And for some damn reason, I felt the pressure of the sky even more than ever in a house where I knew I didn't belong. It was easier to sit in a den that stank and eat chips out of the bag for supper because that was me, whereas here, I doubt Charlie even knew what the stench of dirty laundry or dirty dishes piled to the ceiling smelled like. Living under a roof with thick supports meant it expected something from me. There were expectations from me, and Charlie had laid them out so clearly that tonight it became apparent that he wasn't _just _some foster parent who had to say stuff to get the check. _He meant it_. Hello, he was a military man for Christ sake. Back in the day his intimidation factor was probably attractive. Now it was threatening.

I dropped down onto my bed, lying on my stomach with my arms outstretched in 'face-planting' style. The moon was still casting its light on my face, beckoning me to come outside. I closed my eyes to force myself to look away, all the while chanting in my head '_don't even think about it_!' over and over again. Was it stupid that I still wanted to go outside? After everything I have been through tonight and the past couple days—the blackouts, the biker gang, the red eyes—I still wanted to sneak down the hall, creep down the stairs, and run out the door, just to see if I could get away with it. I actually felt like I could too, if I was quiet enough—how _stupid_ is that?

But even as I tell myself how fucked up everything is, I can't help but look at my bedroom door and know how easy it is to turn the handle and flee. I'm not being forced against my will to stay in my room. I could travel around a little, try some food out in the kitchen, maybe take a look around—_liar! You just want to find your bike again!_ It's true though. Excuses are just excuses, and as long as I keep running and lying, I'll forever continue to see red eyes and black holes.

I need to get my life in order.

-x-

I didn't sneak out again. But I didn't sleep either for the rest of the night. My stomach kept me awake—I was finally starving for food, but I was too scared to get up in case Charlie thought I was planning on going for a little 'runsie' again. Instead, I stayed on my back listening to the gurgles and groans of my gut to get the fuck up and eat something, which I ignored until 9am. By that time, I couldn't take it any longer, and I moved like a sloth downstairs to the kitchen, and found the fridge after my turtle pace.

"Morning."

My heart flew up into my neck and choked me before I saw that Charlie was in the kitchen. He was sitting on a stool, sipping hot coffee and reading the newspaper, acting like nothing had occurred last night.

He took a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrows at me. "Nervous Nancy aren't yah," he asked, but not really asking me.

I turned my back and opened the fridge, shrugging to give an answer but not really giving one. He didn't comment any further, nor did I. I just stared into the cold, hoping something interesting would pop out at me. I had never been a morning eater, but today, I felt like I could eat everything in an anorexic's nightmare.

"We've got bread in the bread box and fruit in the fruit bowl," Charlie offered behind me.

I chuckled. "No kidding." Who would have thought, right? "But I'm too hungry for boring food, though. I want to feast like no other."

"Well, take what you like, but eat what you take."

_That_ I had to turn around and face off with. I stared at him momentarily, looking to see if he thought I would like hearing his army cafeteria talk. He wouldn't look up from his paper though, of course, hiding from my mocking smirk.

"That sounds like great advice. Thank you," I told him. It wasn't sincere, of course.

He looked up from his paper finally and looked me over. But instead of forcing the topic on any longer, he took note of my clothes—quite rudely, in fact. "Why do you still have last night's clothes on? They look like they're still damp from the rain. How is that comfortable?"

I grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and walked over to the counter. Before I could start rummaging for a glass in the cupboards, Charlie spoke up. "Closest on your right." For spite, I had the urge to look in the left one first, but I didn't bother. I grabbed a cup out of the right one and poured myself a glass of orange juice.

"Are you not talking today?" he asked.

I decided to answer his previous question, thus answering both. "I don't own twenty pairs of pants like you do—these jeans are all I have, in fact, and this plaid button down may be damp, but it was something I bought with my own money when I was fifteen. I won't disrespect it and throw it away just because it gets a little more use."

Charlie stood up from his stool and folded the paper beneath his arm. "I didn't say to throw away your clothes. What I'm trying to get at is the fact that you don't seem to have many clothes."

I took a huge swig of orange juice and felt it stream down to my stomach before I said anything. "Well," I began. "Welcome to the foster system. I also don't have a lot of people willing to adopt me too, or were you going to point that out as well?"

Without another word, Charlie left the kitchen and I finished off what was in the glass. Strangely enough, I wasn't hungry anymore. Charlie must have taken my appetite with him as he headed to his office. I followed briefly, just until I got to the stairs, and that's when he turned around and handed me a twenty dollar bill.

I made sure to laugh in his face. "No sorry," I said holding up my hands. "I make a point not to take money from people." Charlie tried to hand it to me again, but I stepped up onto one of the stairs to avoid it again. "No seriously, it's my way of life—I don't believe in owing people."

He dropped his arm down to his side, perplexed. "Are you serious? It's for clothes—"

"I have clothes, believe it or not. I may not have fifteen shorts like you do, but I have enough. Enough is _enough_ for me."

He gave up. "Fine." He put the money into his jean pocket and walked away. I could practically see the bruises on his skin from where I was standing—he didn't like being rejected, clearly.

He'd better get used to it—I sure had.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

"She took it."

It was already morning. I had come back to the spot where I had picked up Bella only a few hours ago to see if anyone had come back, and of course, a few of the biker kids were back snooping around the area.

I stayed hidden behind the trees, making sure to actually stay beneath the branches this time. The biker gang looked like they expected the bike to still be lying on its side, waiting for them. I shook my head while they stared at the spot with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Even if I hadn't taken the bike home for Bella last night, I'm sure she would have gotten it home herself, so there was no reason for them to think someone wouldn't steal it back.

"I told you Mike! I told you it wasn't smart to leave it here!" Maksim yelled at one of the two boys that were still sitting back on their bikes, engines running. Maksim ripped his helmet off and used it to point an accusation at the boy who had taken his helmet off as well. I recognized him from before I was forced into night school. His name was Mike Newton, and he and I had a gym class together that I never went to because it was absolutely painful for me to play at human speed. I remember him specifically though because he always stared at the girl's bare legs in the gym shorts, and made inappropriate remarks. He was scum, and it didn't surprise me one little bit that he was friends with an ever bigger scumbag, Maksim Smirnov.

"Were we really going to be using it for anything? It was sitting for awhile—"

Maksim cut him off. "I want that damn bike back!"

Surely Charlie had already gotten rid of it. He wouldn't be stupid enough to leave it lying around for Bella to find again…I hoped not, anyway. All it would take is them driving a couple miles down the road and spotting the piece of junk on Charlie's property, and then they'd know where she lived. That would _not_ be good.

"What do you want us to do Maks? It's gone—"

"—and if I don't have it by tonight, shit is going down—"

"OKAY! We'll find it," Mike yelled. "We'll get it back."

Maksim nodded. "Fucking right you will. Now get your boys and find it. I don't want to have to intervene."

I didn't want him to have to intervene either. But I knew there was little I could do on a morning like this. When they sped off on their bikes, I stepped out into the morning sun, which reflected off my skin and showed me what I am. There was no way I would be able to stay in sight today, because the risk of being seen was too high with the clear day.

I rubbed the back of my neck and gritted my teeth together. My sister had said this weekend was going to be clear sunny, I just hadn't thought about what that exactly meant.

There was no one that could chase Bella—Charlie and I were stuck if something came up. And knowing the wild kid, something definitely would, especially with Maksim gunning for her.

-x-

"Let's go camping! We can hunt and actually enjoy ourselves instead of being trapped in this house," Emmett yelled from downstairs. I held the bridge of my nose, concentrating on keeping calm. I didn't want to go anywhere—I wanted to stay close to Charlie's in case anything happened.

My door swung open and my sister, Alice, had her arms crossed, glaring at me. "Don't ruin this for us, Edward," she warned me. "Bella is going to be fine! Stop obsessing—"

"I'm not obsessing. I'm just…concerned for her, because Charlie is concerned too. And quit talking like you know her—you don't, so back off."

She gave me a stupid smirk. _You really like her! Edward Cullen likes a girl! _She continued this chant in her head until I grabbed a book and threw it at her. She caught it easily and read the title to me. "Romeo and Juliet? _How appropriate_."

"Knock it off, _Alice_."

"No, it's adorable, really, it is. And I've had visions of you two—" She began to pay them before I could stop her. Even though I didn't want to see them, I couldn't help but watch them.

_Bella is walking across the peak of a rooftop, looking irritated or amused. Then I swoop in and jump in front of her, a grin on my face, causing her to yelp in surprise. She tries to punch me but I catch her fist. She smiles but continues to pull away, until I pull her body into mine, preventing her from moving. Eventually, she lets me wrap my arms around her waist, and drop my face into the crook of her neck, where my lips touch her bare skin—_

The vision quickly switches.

_Bella is outside my house, throwing rocks at my window. I come out of the woods and sneak up on her, grabbing her around the waist and pushing her up against the side of the house. I look angry, but she doesn't look concerned with anything but the shock of getting caught off-guard. _

The vision stops.

I stare at Alice, my mind going a million miles a minute. The thought of being _that_ close to her…for it to be a possibility…I couldn't think straight as my breathing picked up.

"You have nothing to worry about, _Edward_. You're going to be together. I think she's great. We're all ecstatic." She started jumping up and down like a school girl finding out her crush liked her back. It took everything in me not to punch a hole in a wall. I hated the attention. Instead, I tried to remain calm.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Esme didn't believe the visions when I told her. You know she hates seeing you so lonely. And Emmett and Jasper think it's about time, too. Rose is well...Rose, but she'll come around, just like Carlisle will. I mean, we all know how great it is to have a mate, and you—"

"Mate? Bella as my _mate_?" I yelled. Alice was getting ahead of herself. I had never gotten that far. I knew I cared for her, but I didn't think I'd ever be able to stand next to her and claim her as my own. She was too good for me, and her locked mind would never let me know her true feelings. "This is ridiculous, Alice! I've only talked to her once, and she's not even concerned with me!"

Alice disagreed. She shook her head and held onto a smile. "As long as you don't mess it all up with Charlie, then yeah, I can see it happening. She's going to change, and then Charlie won't be able to object to you two being together."

I turned my back to her and pulled my fingers through my hair. I didn't know what to think. Bella had come into my life so quickly that I hadn't even been able to process anything but attraction for her. But to know it was the real thing I was feeling…it was scary.

"I wasn't sure the visions were accurate when I first saw them! I couldn't picture you running after a girl—"

"Woah wait a second!" I yelled, flipping around and holding up my hands to her. "Have you been keeping this from me? Is that why you and Jasper have been hiding?"

Alice tried to block her mind from me, but I glared at her. She gave in. "Yes and no…I mean, we need alone time, like you know…" she said smiling. I groaned internally when she began to picture Jasper. Thankfully, she continued with her previous thought. "I knew you would freak out though if you found out there was a chance that you could have a little happiness in your life."

"You were keeping this from me."

"Edward—"

Emmett was suddenly in my room, grinning widely. "There's our lover boy. When are we going to meet her?"

I glared at Alice. She sank back behind Emmett, trying to hide from my accusing glare. "I don't know what you're taking about."

"Of course not," he said grinning. "But I hear she's hot."

I gritted my teeth. "Five seconds, and if you're not out of my room—"

"I can't picture you even kissing a girl, let alone having a mate. That's going to be interesting—"

I lunged for him but he ducked out of my room and ran down the hall. Alice followed along, skipping like a fairy. I slammed my door, but that didn't block their voices. "We're leaving around lunchtime!" Alice yelled. "And there's no point staying back sulking in your room! It's going to be sunny all weekend!"

I groaned. It looked like I would be going along reluctantly anyway. But before I made any decisions to join my family on the weekend hunt, I pulled out my phone and called Charlie's house. It took a few moments for an answer, but eventually, someone did.

"_Welcome to hell, Bella speaking,"_ the voice said on the other line.

I lost my voice, choking from hearing hers.

"_Hello?"_ she asked again, trying to beckon me to talk. I couldn't though. Her voice had shocked me, so much so that I could have sworn my heart had taken a single beat.

There was a rumble on the other line, and then I could hear Charlie asking her for the phone. It sounded like she dropped it on the floor from the noise, but after a second, Charlie said _"Hello? Charlie Swan speaking."_

"Hi it's Edward Cullen." He didn't respond, so I continued to talk. "Listen I know I'm not supposed to be talking to her or anything, but I just want to let you know that Maksim and his little gang bangers are looking for that bike Bella stole. You might want to do something with it—"

He cut me off. _"Not that it's any of your business, but it's being taken care of."_

"Okay." I got the last word in though before he hung up on me. I stared down at my cell phone, trying not to crush it in my hands. Instead, I turned my phone completely off.

If he didn't want to talk to me, I didn't want to talk to him.

I joined my family downstairs and ignored their staring eyes and Carlisle's warning look. His mind was warning me of the repercussions of getting close to the chief of police's kid, but I gave him a glare back, which was enough for him to drop it.

A hunting trip really was what I needed to relax, I decided, and that's why I jumped into Emmett's jeep without any more reluctance, and let them take me away.

That didn't mean I wouldn't be thinking about _her_ the entire time.

-x-

**_Bella Crossbones_**

"That was incredibly rude, Bella," Charlie said after hanging up the phone. Now we stood awkwardly in the sitting room, where he had taken the phone from me in the first place.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "That's quite an accusation coming from the guy who thinks I look like shit."

"Watch your language. I've been pretty slack with you so far in that area, but you should know enough by now that your mouth should be as clean as your surroundings."

"Maybe that's why my room's such a mess."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh nothing."

"You better be respecting the roof that's over your head—"

"—_God forbid_ I don't," I said dramatically. "Who knew someone could do so many things wrong? First I forget to come home—"

"—you just don't _forget _to come home—"

"—and then I answer the phone wrong—"

"—which is right. It's either Swan residence or a simple hello."

I stared blankly at him. "Swan residence?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"But I live here too. Is that something that doesn't matter to you?"

He stared just as blankly back.

"I am not a Swan, nor do I ever intend to be—"

"I don't intend for you to be either—"

"Oh great! Well why don't we just shake on it!" I yelled, barging out of the room like a little girl on a teen flick show. I marched into the kitchen and grabbed the handle to the sliding doors.

Charlie stopped near the entrance of the kitchen, just on the edge of the shadows that disappeared into the sunlight streaming through the kitchen windows.

"You're not allowed to leave the house this weekend because you're grounded, remember!" he warned me when my fingers wrapped around the metal of the door handle.

"Well, why don't you come and stop me?" I asked, squinting at him through the light pouring through the glass.

He stared at me with an anxious, nervous look, like he had been caught bluffing. Maybe he had. I decided to test him.

I pulled the door to the right, letting the air come into the house. Charlie straightened up, his face turning to a glare. "What was that now Charlie?" I asked even though I knew better.

I didn't feel like myself in that moment. It was as if another dimension had come into my body and gave me the courage to forget that there were consequences to actions. I just stepped out onto the deck like a girl without any thoughts, and ignored Charlie's voice that no longer sounded threatening to me.

I felt great. It was like I had taken the biggest drink of water, and now I could run forty kilomitres without getting tired, or I could scale a building without falling to my death—

My eyes caught the side of the house, and what would act as my ladder, even before the thought could complete. Wooden beams, criss-crossing for five feet wide and forty feet tall, were attached to the brick, allowing the vines that were planted below in the garden to travel all the way up the beams until they nearly touched the roof. I looked up and saw Charlie watching me, but before I could second guess my decision, I climbed over the railing, grabbed onto the beams, and climbed down to the ground.

I was free, and for once, no one was chasing me.

-x-


	13. BLACK SWAN

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 13: BLACK SWAN**

_**Charlie Swan**_

I saw the look in her eye when she glanced my way. For a moment, she was there, questioning herself, but then a glint of red flashed without any moonlight present, thus proving she really was in the beginning stages of turning. She dropped off the deck—no, dropped off the face of reality—and left me standing in the shadows, defenceless against a seventeen-year-old and a sunny day.

I had to act fast. This had become bigger than me in only a matter of minutes. Or maybe it was like Edward said; that I never did know what I was really up against. Whatever the case, I was on the phone, dialling a number I had been warned to avoid—old habits die hard, of course.

I exhaled when the other end of the phone finally picked up. "_Black residence_."

"Hello?" I took a nervous breath, anxious to hear the young voice again. "Hi Jake, it's Charlie."

There was a brief pause. _"Really? Didn't recognize your voice—it's been awhile." _I could hear the uncertainty in his voice already. He was uncomfortable talking to me. His father's beliefs washed off on him._ "What's up?"_

"Well…" I didn't know where I was going with this. It wasn't my business to dapple in things that crossed treaty laws. But I had been a friend of Billy's since college, and well before the accident that took his legs and took my life five years ago; now I was the only vampire that he could acknowledge if the time called for it. This _was_ the time. No one else could deal with a girl on the edge of the hybrid lifestyle. "Is your dad around?" I asked nonchalantly.

"_Yeah one second," _he said before he yelled to his father in the background. Not before long, a different voice was on the line.

"_Charlie?"_

Again, his tone questioned the reality of my call. It was out of the ordinary, given our falling-out five years ago when he found out I had been changed. But since his side of town is just as small as mine, it's been difficult for him to avoid me. We've only talked a handful of times in the past couple years when we'd cross paths mistakenly, but never about anything old friends talk about. He still doesn't understand why I don't pack up and leave.

"Hey Billy, it's me," I said in a husky voice.

"_I realize that." _His voice was natural and without emotion._ "What's the matter?"_

There was a time when a call like this to him wasn't worst case scenario. It would have been just a call between friends, back when I was bogged down with a pregnant wife, and an ignorant reality. Years flew past more years though, and here we were today, barely able to get enough words in.

"It's an emergency…I'm sure you've heard about the kid I'm fostering?"

"_Sure._" His tone turned flat and tense. He didn't approve. I didn't blame him. In a way, it wasn't fair to bring a human near a vampire lifestyle. But he didn't know the full story—I had the intent to do just the opposite.

"Well she's…different."

He chuckled. _"How so?"_

I didn't know how to put it, so I went with matter of fact. "She's has the recessive gene."

When he didn't say anything, I asked if he was still there, but he cleared his throat. _"Yes I'm still here," _he said, shaken. _"That's a pretty weird move if you ask me, fostering a hybrid—what are you thinking!" _His concern both made me angry and moved. He was still the bastard deep down inside I knew him to be.

"She needed help. It's not permanent. She'll be well on her way when she gets better—"

"_Permanent is the perfect term for vampire."_

"Yes well it won't get that far." At that, he laughed like he used to, full of gut and coughing. I could practically see him toppling over now. I cut in. "But that's not why I'm calling. I'm concerned for her safety and others right at this moment. She just fled from the house and I can't chase her because she'll see—"

"_She's gone already?"_ His tone was humorous. _"That didn't take long."_

I didn't want to have to admit it. "Yes. I underestimated her will to run."

"_And what do you want me to do about it?"_

"I was hoping you could get one of your guys—Sam possibly—to keep an eye on her. I don't want her hurting herself or anyone else."

He laughed deep into his throat again. _"What makes you think Sam would want to be caught messing around with vampire business? I have a hard time swallowing this news, so I can't imagine Sam taking it lightly."_

"Hey she's not a vampire so stop calling her one. She's flesh and blood—"

"_You and I both know there's no protecting her—"_

"I don't believe that. She's got as much right to life as anyone else."

There was a brief pause before he spoke next. _"Why are you doing all of this Charlie?"_

His questioning tone pissed me off. "Isn't it obvious?" I spat back. "She needs help."

"_She's fine. You're the one who isn't. You can't go around replacing your fam—" _

"—Billy, don't go there—"

"_I'm just saying. You're the one who called. I'm just stating what I think. If you don't like it, don't call me."_

I found a place to stare at the wall in order to remain calm. I needed him on my side. "Billy…can you help me out or not?"

"_No." _I looked down at the tile floor, looking for another way, but he cut back in. _"But I can try to help _her_ out." _I closed my eyes and exhaled, truly thankful. _"I'll send Jake over that way. See if he can look out for her."_

"Jake? But he shouldn't be getting into this—"

"_Hey, he knows a lot more than you think he knows, Charlie. He isn't just some kid anymore."_

No. He couldn't have…he _couldn't_ be…"He's not a werewolf...is he?"

Billy didn't answer. I took it as a yes.

"You know what, forget I called. This isn't right."

Billy cursed under his breath, but I still heard it. _"And you think I'm judgemental. Goodbye Charlie."_

"I'm sorry, it's just—"

The line went dead. I threw the phone against the wall and dreaded where I'd be finding Bella when the sun went down.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

When my feet hit the grass after my daring climb down the side of the house, my eyes roamed the slope of the backyard, scanning the area for any sense of adventure. That's how I caught a glimpse of the sparkling water way beyond the trees, barely visible on ground level. But after running through the woods and finding numerous man-made paths to follow, I was taken to the most beautifully structured dock jutting out from a rocky bank, where a portion stretched out onto the sparkling lake. It was picturesque, something someone—Charlie—had put a lot of thought into. The area overlooking the lower deck had a lightly stained gazebo, decorated with little lanterns hanging around the beams. Beside it, a wooden swing hung from a hundred-year-old tree with roots that trailed through the loose dirt and all the way down to the rocks touching the water's edge. It took everything in me not to run up to that tree—just something about the way it dangerously leaned over the water made me want to climb it; or maybe it was the fact the swing looked to take its riders well over the surface of the deep water below that thrilled me. The stairs that connected all the side balconies, nooks and crannies were connected to the main stretch of the dock. It had the usual ladder and boat hooks, but the main eye sore was the pathetic row boat pulled up onto the wood flanks that revealed its damage across its bottom. The boat almost had more holes than me—almost, of course.

Slowly, I moved past the flowers in their matching pots and past the trees that had been built into the decks to avoid cutting them down, and stopped when I hit the dock, the perfect place for sunbathing.

Unfortunately, _I don't_ sun bathe, but I do like to stare into new surroundings.

It was enough for me to walk to the very edge of the dock and stare out into the cove, where I began to imagine the wonderful places that existed just around the bend across the short distance away, where trees waved for me to come and find out what they hid. That was another day's work, though, because I didn't have the motivation for much of anything. It amazed me how a half hour ago I was chomping at the bit to find a new adventure, but now, I just wanted to pass out somewhere.

And that's what I tried to do, actually. I dropped down onto my knees and laid down on my back, blocking the sun with my arm over my face. In this position, I just contemplated about the moment, and how I no longer had a rush to do much of anything.

Until I heard the footsteps.

I rolled over onto my stomach and craned my neck up at the intruder. My gut told me to stand, but my head told me to stop worrying at the sight of the person. It wasn't Charlie. It was just a boy…a boy?

"Who the hell are you?" I asked before holding up my hand to block the sun. Here, I had a much better view of the tanned, muscular teenager. Actually, muscular wasn't even the word—from his legs to his damn jaw, he was toned and hard. Like a truck, pretty to look at to, but even better to drive, I imagine. I could _only_ imagine, of course.

"Jacob Black," he said confidently as he strode right up until his shadow blocked the sun. I stared up at him ridiculously, waiting for more of an answer. He looked at me awkwardly, seeing that his name and presence didn't impress me in the least bit. "Charlie asked me to hang out with you."

My spirits took a backwards dive into the sorrows of my dying heart. Charlie had found me a play date. How lame, and incredibly childish. "Wow," I said, standing up and brushing off my hands on the back of my jeans even though there was nothing to wipe off. "How _thoughtful_ of him."

He chuckled at my jab and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. I leaned back onto my heels and crossed my arms, staring blankly at the space over his shoulder until he broke the silence. "Well he just figured you'd want someone—"

"To play with? _Oh yeah_, he just knows me _so well_. I love being around people—_especially_ new people I don't know. Yup, he sure has things _figured_ out." That was uncalled for. Especially after I noticed the sad look on his face, like I had just gutted him or cut his heart out—what was he, a girl? "Hey look, I'm sorry…I just don't know how to hang around people. I've never had friends." I sounded like I was stumbling around incoherently in a desert. I finished up quickly. "So that's why."

He shrugged. "I don't have that many friends either."

I chuckled. "No, you're not hearing me. I don't have _that many_ either, because I don't have that many _at all_. I don't have friends, period."

After hearing that, he smiled wide, his white teeth mocking me against his tan skin. All the kid had was straight teeth and miles of tan skin. "Of course you don't have friends. You don't make them with that attitude."

That's when it hit me. The scene. The moment. The boy. The girl. The sideways glances. The damn birds in the sky. It was a fucking scene out of a movie, and that's why I felt stupid standing there. I was the cliché girl meeting her first real boyfriend that made her do more than just kiss. He made me feel like I needed to run and run as far as I could, like Simba. I rolled my eyes at him to add to the cliché, but that didn't mean it didn't have truth and meaning to it. I walked passed his wide body, shaking my head at the feelings deep in my gut. For some hidden reason, Jacob Black was more than just that _bad boy_ type…he had the wrong vibe about him, and no little sideways smirk could erase the flashing signals in my bones.

I picked up my pace on removing myself from the situation, and I would have ran straight back inside Charlie's cave to yell at him if Jacob hadn't reminded me about something I had forgotten like a moron.

"I noticed you own a dirt bike," he said like a salesman trying to pull me in. And it worked. I froze just as I placed one foot on the wooden stairs, and when the mental picture of my bike came into view, my heart suddenly picked up its pace like it had just been told to smarten up and beat right.

I ran up the stares like a mad man discovering the doors had no locks, but I noticed the feet behind me keeping pace with mine which made me run faster. Eventually, we were both up by Charlie's garage where a red truck was now parked near my little dirt bike baking in the hot sun.

"What is this place, fucking California?" I cursed when I saw the half melted plastic near the back of the bike, warped from old age and heat from the uncharacteristic Forks weather.

"Something like that," Jacob said, leaning over to touch my bike. I slapped his hand the moment it touched the handle bars. "Hey! What was that for?" he said after pulling away and holding his hands up where I could see them.

"It's my dirt bike. I found it. Get away." Strangely, I felt like punching the guy just to get the message clear, or maybe having a switch blade attack, like something gangs did in prison to show their status. I felt stupid for thinking about it, but humoured none the less.

"No shit, I'm just taking a look," he said. "What do you mean you found it?"

I lifted the bike up off its side and held it against my body. It seemed massive compared to me. It felt great. "What does it usually mean when you found something—it means I found it you jackass!"

Jacob shook his head, holding in a smirk that seemed to be from a private joke.

"What's so funny? Oh a girl can't drive a dirt bike? Well that's fucking sexist—"

"I didn't say that!" he argued. "You're the one who said it, not me. I just don't know why you're on the edge—well I do, but never mind."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"Is this some PMS joke? Because I don't go there—"

"—you're being dramatic—"

"—don't you ever say that to me! That's the lamest—"

"OKAY! I give up!" he said backing away. I liked how he retreated. It felt right. "I just wanted to meet you, and now that we met, it's done."

"See you later then," I said with a wave, nodding towards his truck.

"Okay, well when do you want to hang out?"

I laughed. He didn't. I laughed again. "_See you later_ doesn't mean _see you later_ when _I _say it. _At all_." Right after the humour though, he took the blow like a pansy, and again, I felt guilty. I let it slide though and watched him open the driver side door, but before he climbed in, he looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Well, I was going to say that you could come over and I could help you fix up that bike," he said confidently. Before I could even react, he got into the truck, started it, and rolled down the window to view my star struck look.

"You're lying," I said, even though I prayed from the tips of my toes for him to be sincere.

And he was. "Not a chance," he said smoothly. "I've got piles of parts from my own wrecked dirt bikes over the years. I bet there are pieces in my pile that could give your sad, little engine some hope."

If I didn't feel it before, I sure felt it then—the adrenaline, the need to get out. His offer was too sudden and too perfect for my mind to function. I jumped on it immediately. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, a smirk on his face. He looked like a devil. Good thing I was no angel.

"Yep," I said as my final answer, pushing my bike to the back of his truck. He got out and lifted it easily into the bed after releasing the hatch. It would have been impressive if I was the type to get impressed. It didn't knock me over one little bit.

I got into his truck and held onto the seats when he backed out of the driveway with a quickened pace, reminding me of the night I had spent running around town with that Edward kid. My heart did a back flip and a half, landing sideways in my ribs. "

"What's with the driving?" I asked just as he turned on the radio and put the truck in drive.

"Charlie. He's watching from the window. He probably doesn't want you on my side of the town."

I looked up quickly just as the truck drove away from the house, but that gave me half a second view of the figure standing in the front window, shaking his head in disapproval.

I smiled.

-x-


	14. WHERE STARS ARE BORN

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 14: WHERE STARS ARE BORN**

_**Edward Cullen**_

We didn't go far—it was just an hour out of Forks—because Rosalie and Emmett insisted on cramping up the car with their sideways glances and Jasper kept shifting on his seat, more uncomfortable than I was. I jumped out of the Jeep as soon as we were far enough from civilization and ran until the only thing I could hear was Alice's mind laughing at me.

I got as far as I could until a ledge stopped me and revealed a drop of a lifetime. It was a fifty-foot decline into rocky space, and if I was human, one ignorant step could toss me over the line and into another world where pain and hunger didn't kill me day in and out—well, that at least was how it was supposed to happen; it doesn't always work that way for some.

I backed away and leaned my shoulder on a tree. Behind me, I could hear the footsteps, but I continued to stare out into the open wilderness, contemplating the jump that Esme took and failed. Why does the natural world put all its harshness onto human's shoulders, and when they can't take it anymore and want out, they're trapped forever?

"What are you looking at?" Carlisle asked.

I shrugged. "What are _you_ looking at?" I spat back.

He chuckled and walked in front of me, the front of him taking in the sun that danced alone in the middle of the sky. He put his hands in his jean pockets and turned to look at me. I cocked an eyebrow at him when I read his thoughts. He shrugged himself. "I want you to back off Charlie's kid—"

"—she's not a kid—"

"She' human and you're not," he argued. "And you'll ruin everything." _Don't kill her too, Edward…_

I stood up straight and felt the menace begin to pool in my stomach. "You can't kill something that's already dead, Carlisle—you of all people should know that, right?" I moved around the tree, but when I did, Esme was there, staring at me with pitiful eyes that somehow deserved more than anything the world had to give. "Speak of the devil," I said cruelly. "If it isn't one of Frankenstein's creations now." I walked by her and didn't look back at the hypocrite burning holes in my spine.

-x-

I hunted for an hour before I stumbled back to the ledge where the family had made the camping spot. It was only mid-afternoon, and I still had a day and a half of this torture. At least it was only Alice at the empty fire pit. I couldn't take much else.

"What'd ya catch?" Alice asked, looking up from her Seventeen magazine, revealing her red eyes from the animal's blood. The threatening colour looked funny reading a pathetic little girl's magazine, where her feet swung childishly under the seat. But in an hour or so, her black eyes would return, as would my green ones, and nothing would be out of the ordinary—that is, if the average onlooker subtracted the sparkling.

"Not much," I answered.

She tilted her head to the side and looked at me accusingly. "Well you obviously got _something_—and you're in a much better mood. Did the blood do the trick, or have you forgotten about a certain someone…"

I pretended the thought of Charlie's project didn't put pressure on my chest. Instead of playing along, I ignored her pokes. "I could only find deer—must have scared any larger game away from the last hunt."

Alice had her nose back in the magazine, but that didn't mean she wasn't torturing me. Her mind was playing a tape of her thoughts, and at the moment, she couldn't hold back from imagining my hand holding someone else's—

"Jesus Christ would you stop that!" I roared, jumping up and ripping the magazine from her hand. She gave me a warning smirk, but I was already back pedaling to the ledge of the cliff. I held the magazine by a single page over the drop, and watched her reaction.

"Do it and I'll show you more of what's to come..." she sang.

"That wasn't even a vision. That was you just being a girl—"

"You already know what I've seen—and I know that you like it, so stop this little act and give me my magazine."

I let it drop into the fall. The wind picked it up and threw it even farther across the edge and down into the rocks.

She glared at me. "Fine. Let's see what you're little girlfriend will be up to this weekend while you're not around…" she said with an evil smirk.

"Please don't Alice…" I said weakly, covering my hands with my face to try and forbid myself from looking. Of course, I was too curious when it came to the hybrid girl, and it killed me not knowing what she was up to. After a moment, I couldn't help but look—that didn't mean there was something to see.

It was blank.

I pulled my hands away from my face and saw Alice looking at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked, stepping forward.

She closed her eyes again, and when she tried to search for Bella's future, it was the deepest, darkest, and most depressing hole I had ever seen. There was nothing.

"What is that?" I asked calmly, trying to fake my lack of concern. On the inside, I was already thinking about running back to Forks and finding what that black hole meant.

"Call Charlie," Alice said standing up. "I have a feeling something happened."

I grabbed the back of my neck with the palm of my hand. When Alice turned away from me, I dug my nails into my skin, and with my other hand, pulled on the roots of my hair.

"Call him Edward!" she yelled.

I shook out of my thoughts—the thoughts about what I could lose—and began to dial his number when I pulled out my phone from my back pocket. He answered on the first dial tone. "Charlie what's going on—"

"_Why are you calling me?"_

I ignored his tone. "Alice _saw_ something." I left it at that to catch his attention. It worked.

"_And?"_

"You tell me," I said.

After a brief pause, the bastard gave in. _"She fled the house and I couldn't go after her."_

My grip on the phone tightened. "Okay," I said calmly. "Where is she?"

"_How would I know Edward?" _

I dropped the indifferent tone and started in on him. "Why the hell did you let her leave?" I accused him. "It's not that hard to keep the doors locked and make sure she's in sight!"

"_Goodbye Edward."_

"Charlie what are you going to do—"

He hung up.

"Damn it!" I cursed, trying not to crush my phone with my angered grip. In front of me, Alice held out the keys to the Jeep. My chest constricted. "What?"

"Just be back before Emmett knows, and you'll be fine," she said, tossing the keys into the air. I caught them easily. "Call me if you find your—" she stopped mid-sentence. "If you find Bella," she corrected herself.

"You call me if you see anything," I said before turning and running to the Jeep, even though I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing.

No, I _knew_ I wasn't doing the right thing.

Good thing I'm not a saint.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

**Mid-Afternoon**

_He didn't look too threatening when he had picked me up. He had nice eyes, at least, and when he said he'd take care of everything for me, I actually slowed down my crying._

"_I'll keep you safe," he said lowly, his eyes searching through the dark space. "Just stop crying—please stop crying!" He begged me._

_But his frightened tone scared me, so the tears began to pour again, and I began to yell. His hand quickly covered my mouth, turning my face into his chest. I was trapped and wasn't going anywhere—_

Something hit my shoulder. I opened my eyes.

"Did you die for a second?" Jacob asked, smiling, and then hitting me in the shoulder again.

I straightened up in the passenger seat, where the sun poured through directly into my eyes. It was daylight—and I was sleeping on the job again. "Something like that," I answered him. "Just haven't had much sleep lately."

"No shit. You look like a zombie," he said before getting out of the truck.

I followed after him. "Excuse me?" I asked, slamming the truck door as hard as I could.

He just smiled and proceeded to get my dirt bike out of the back. "It's the dark circles beneath your eyes—they're scary looking."

"Wow what a great compliment," I said under my breath. But when I spun and looked at my face in the side mirror, zombie was an understatement—I had _two_ black eyes. "What the fuck happened to my face!" I cried out, grabbing my cheek bones and touching the purple bruising beneath my eyes. But they weren't exactly bruises—they were dark circles. _Extremely dark_, dark circles.

"Hey, don't worry—it looks good on you," Jacob said, chuckling after.

I would have said differently, but when I looked up over his shoulder, my petty-girl issues weren't important when compared to where I was standing. "Is this where you live?" I asked, walking towards the house—if I could even call it that. It was a one story flat, the roof sagging in the middle, the shingles flapping up near the edges, the red paint scattered in areas. But unlike the little house, the yard it sat in was the complete opposite—there was so much space! There was a forest, just as green and large like Charlie's, wrapping around the yard, but unlike Charlie's, this place had character from the unkempt gardens, overgrown bushes, and broken down fence—everything was perfect without trying.

"It's not much," Jacob said walking up beside me with the dirt bike. "But I wouldn't trade it for the world." His voice was distant with the nature seemingly screaming into my face, the trees groaning while they swayed from the warm breeze, and the birds chuckling at each other just because they could.

It was a truly wonderful place…and it made me sick that something so pathetic looking was everything but.

"Come on," Jacob said finally, nudging me with his elbow. "Wait until you see what's in the back."

I didn't think his rundown lot could get anymore inviting, but sure enough, just like his promising tone had insinuated, I had yet to see the best part, and when I did, my stomach ate the floor. "Holy shit," I said under my breath when we rounded a bend and started up a small incline towards a large, depressing barn, where fifty-meters behind it, a cliff dropped into the ocean that collided with the bright sky. The two-story building wasn't even painted, but the greying, beach-wood texture and fallen-in roof was what made it so striking—a coat of paint and new beams would kill everything.

Moving past Jacob, I realized that the sliding doors were open, and inside, amongst dried up hay and cobwebs, piles of metal, machinery, and more importantly, _engine pieces_, were strewed all around—I recognized the potential immediately. "You seriously have a treasure chest here, Jacob."

"It's Jake," he said after smiling down at his goldmine. "And I'm glad you think so," he said, moving the dirt-bike into the center of the room, "because this place is where stars are born."

My eyes fell onto his, and when he saw the potential bliss rising up behind my eyes, he smacked the back of my bike with his hand, and then grinned devilishly.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" I hid my smirk well.

"You tell me?"

That did it, and then I grinned wickedly.

-x-

_**You know the deal.**_


	15. BURIED TREASURE

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 15: BURIED TREASURE**

_**Edward Cullen**_

Charlie hasn't always been such a hard ass, I'm told. Actually, there was a time in his life that he had been softened to the core, and the woman that did that to him quickly became his sun in the sky and his moon in the night. But I didn't know Charlie then.

When we moved to forks five years ago, we heard the rumours first of the tragedy he had gone through nearly ten years before. _Evil_, was the word Esme had thought first, whereas I wasn't so shocked. Human lives were capable of just as much hurt as we were.

We hadn't even known him a year before his human life was cut, and then he became a whole lot more like us. He wasn't shocked either—I think he knew the world wasn't as round as everyone thought. He was the worst vampire though—not even acting like one—which was a good thing, but made me look stupid for those years I had given so much hell, and there he was, taking it like nothing ever happened.

We're not supposed to talk about change though. Yet it's funny—the guy has changed so much that he's to the point where he can't at all. In a way, he's lucky, but in a larger way, he's far from it.

But then there's me, just as alone and miserable as him, and I haven't lost a thing in this world—maybe that's why. Sure, I've had the fear of other people, but never _for_ other people—well, until recently, and of course, fate had it all connected to Charlie, who wants nothing to do with me.

Yet here I am, hood up, standing on his doorstep, deciding if I should knock.

The door flew open before I had a chance. Charlie stood in a plaid shirt and jeans looking like he was ready to call it a night. It was only late afternoon.

"What the hell." I looked at his laidback posture and indifferent face. He didn't have a single trace of concern or anger on him. "You look worried." That was a joke of course, and Charlie smiled—one of _his_ smiles though, so that meant it was there to mock.

"Are you selling girl guide cookies Edward?—'cause I don't know why else you'd be here."

"Would you buy some if I were?" I lunged forward before he could shut the door in my face. "Just stop—" his leg shot out from the left side of his body and tripped me onto my back. I stared up at him from the bottom of his hard cherry wood floors. Charlie stepped over me and headed towards his kitchen. I rolled over onto my stomach and called after him. "You _know_ you want me to find her—"

His sudden close proximately cut me off—or maybe it was when he gripped a chunck of my hair and ripped it up, forcing me into a standing position. I held onto his wrist so he couldn't completely yank my hair out. "Okay! Okay! I shouldn't have come here!" He let me go, but when he turned his back, I had to ask. "But where should I start looking for her?"

He stopped immediately but never turned. He was giving me a chance to run before he could do any real damage to me, but I had to know what he knew—he was hiding something from me.

"Charlie if you don't tell me what you know, when I do find her—_which you know I will_ _eventually_—I'll make sure she wants to spend every last breath with me like I do with her—

I saw the click in his head—the anger—which made him act by throwing me against a wall. A mirror shattered under the impact of my body before my shoulders went straight through the wall, crumbing the jip rock. Charlie kept me stuck in the destruction that he had caused by holding me by the neck. His grip was tighter than it ever had been in the past. I wouldn't put it past him to kill me, but I knew there was no reason to now.

"The sun will be down in a couple hours." His tone was thick while his mind tried to hide something. I couldn't see it. He just kept replaying watching her leave into the sun, but I knew he was just trying to throw me off.

When his grip finally loosened and he pointed to the door, I figured I had already done a lot of damage, so a little more wasn't going to hurt anyone. "How come you're not looking for her Charlie?"

"I swear to God Edward, the only thing keeping you alive right now is your damn family—"

He stopped when he saw the flicker in my eyes—because he knew I saw it as soon as the image passed through his mind. _He had called someone_—who had he called?

"Whose on the other end of the call, Charlie?" I kept my eyes square on his face. He crossed his arms. "You look guilty."

"Guilty?" He laughed. "Of wanting some privacy?—sure. Of wanting you out of my life?—definitely. Of anything else…I'd have to say no."

"You'd have to be wrong then." And as soon as I said it, I was proved right. His mind slipped—a flickering image spewed across his head and into mine. _Billy Black_. "Billy Black? What the hell—"

"I'm giving you three seconds Edward—"

"—I'm going to need more than that—"

"One."

"You have werewolves looking for her!"

"I do not—she's in good hands…" But he couldn't even get through the sentence with enough confidence. I knew why too—he played the image of her leaving down the driveway with that kid—

"You actually watched her leave here with a La Push kid?" And he thought _I_ was a bad influence? He'll be lucky if she makes it out alive, let alone home—La Push! What an idiot. All the kids down that way ran around like they didn't have parents—it's her type's dream.

"Two…"

"You're still counting at a time like this? Really?" I actually had to laugh at that. "You know what—fine. I'm not going to be concerned for her. If you say she's fine hanging around wolf kids, then that's your call—like you said, it's none of my business. But I just want to say, when she doesn't come home tonight, tomorrow, or the next day, don't say I didn't warn you. Just think, if you were in her position, why the hell would you ever come home—especially with a foster parent like you—"

"I'm not her parent."

"You're right. She doesn't have any. And it's the worst feeling in the world—being alone."

"You think I don't know a thing about loneliness?" His tone became strict and his eyes darkened from brown to black. I saw the dark water I was treading in, but I didn't care.

"I don't know. You don't seem sympathetic to her."

"And what's the use of sympathy—because if you can tell me, great, but I know you can't because sympathy gets you jack all."

"I'm just stating what I know."

"Which isn't much, actually."

"Of course. We can't all count our ways out of things we don't want to deal with, can we Charlie?"

"Get out."

"I'm going to go get her for you—"

"Good," Charlie said, grabbing the collar of my shirt and throwing me into the night air. "I encourage you to cross the treaty line—in fact, I dare you." He slammed the door on my face, leaving me in the sun, sparkling like a fool.

I pulled my hood up over my head, hiding from the sun's rays. As I walked, I still saw the reflection mirror across the ground.

Even if I could cross into La Push, there was no way I should. Bella wanted other things—daredevils—where as I was just a night watcher, someone without the fear of losing life because it wasn't mine to lose.

Or maybe that could change. I just needed to be in the right place at the right time, and without even trying, she could be looking my way. What if I didn't chase at all? What if she fell right into me? Charlie couldn't do anything.

I jumped back into Emmett's jeep with a different spring in my step. With my new mindset, I didn't have to go find her…

She'd find me.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

**4pm, La Push**

Jacob could be a mechanic if he wanted to. He was a professional—he had taken apart my bike in record time, and now he was putting it back together like a jigsaw puzzle. I sure felt like a girl sitting on a crate and watching his skills. But he was a girl when it came to chatter—he didn't shut up. His favourite topic? Himself. I just listened.

His birthday was next weekend. He would be turning seventeen. He wanted me there to show his friends he knew girls. I said maybe because I couldn't see why not. Jacob was a normal, cliché guy's guy. He liked anything with an engine. He liked girls. He liked cliff diving.

"Cliff diving?" I asked. "What the hell is cliff diving."

"Exactly what it sounds like," he said smartly. "How 'bout I show you after we finish up here?"

I stared forward, my eyes nervous. I didn't think that would be possible, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want him to know my weakness.

And then he got right back into the topic of himself again. He said he'd never had a girlfriend because none of the girls were pretty at his school, and that he hated school because it kept him from relevant things in life.

From the sounds of things, he was normal. Plain. But normal—I'd never met anyone who hadn't done drugs or partied like it was the fourth of July. I had never fit into that scene either though. I was much like Jake—minus the liking girls part.

"Tell me you go to Forks High."

Jacob laughed after taking a wrench from my hand. "Hell no. I go to one here in La Push."

"Why don't you go to mine, in Forks?"

"Because it's in Forks." He laughed and I actually chuckled a little too. "I like being in La Push." He shoved something around a chrome piece near the engine of the dirt bike.

"Yeah. It's different than Forks. Actually, it's different than anywhere I've ever been."

"And where have you been?" he asked without looking up from his work. I shrugged even though I knew he wouldn't see it.

"Hell."

He looked up as he tightened a piece on the bike, cocking an eyebrow at me. "Hell? And where would that be."

"It's on the corner of 'who gives a fuck', just before 'Neverland'."

"Neverland—now that's the place to be."

"Isn't it. To never grow up—I've had foster parents with that disorder."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. They're more childish than the kids they're looking after."

"So you're actually a foster kid," he said like he was asking me, but without actually asking me. He dropped the wrench in his tool crate and grabbed a dirt rag to wipe the grease off his hands.

"Like actually."

"What do you do?"

"What do I do?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. Like, what do you do—are you always transferred around or should I be expecting you to stick around for awhile?"

"Well…" I was used to stupid comments about my life. But Jacob's comments didn't bother me because for once, they were sincere. Ignorant—but sincere. "The idea for the foster system is your placed with a family until a family that wants you comes around. Then the foster parents have to give you up—even if I wanted to stay with them and didn't like the people who want me."

"That's lame—what if Hitler wanted to adopt you? You have to go with him."

"Yeah. But I don't have to worry about things like that—adoption has never been in my history, and with my record, it's not going to happen."

"You mean you're not going to let it happen."

"Pretty much."

"So then you just what—go family to family until your times up? Is that any better?"

"I've got a year left. I think I can handle it. I can taste freedom. Besides, the thing with the system is someone has to want you to be adopted—no one wants me. It's a done deal."

He nodded. Genuinely too. He wasn't just being nosey to be nosey. He was interested and he understood where I was coming from. It was strange to have someone to talk to. "Well, if Charlie wants to get rid of you, I'll make my dad adopt you."

"Okay," I said. "As long as you promise me that," I laughed.

"Okay. I promise. You'll never have to leave here until you want to."

"Sounds good." I said lamely.

Jacob turned back to the bike. He focused on wiping it down and spraying it with a thin black coating. While he worked, I looked around the barn. It was how anyone would imagine a barn to be—lofty, full of hay, dusty—except that he had filled it with junk rather than farm tools and animals. "Jacob why do you have so much scrap metal?" I asked. He just laughed and nodded over at the back wall. I gasped when I saw the pictures. They were of dirt bikes flying off jumps.

"Those are from one of the old Forks bike parks. I would do anything to learn a trick—I broke three ribs doing that one." He pointed to a picture on the far right. He was completely upside down, his hands not even holding onto the handles. The next picture beside it, the bike wasn't even around—it was just his body flying through the air. The last picture of him lying lopsided on the ground I had to laugh at. "Of course you find it funny—you don't know those jumps. They're crazy."

I turned and looked at him. "Show me them." I was serious.

He laughed. "Hell no."

"Why not? I just want to see them. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm not capable."

"I can't."

"You can't." I mocked his voice. "And why _can't_ you?"

"Because."

I shook my head. "Because why Jake? I thought we were friends—friends don't keep secrets." That was one line I never thought I'd say. My stomach turned just from the taste of it.

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. He was showing signs to breaking—and then he did. "Fine." His eyes were wide and unafraid. "We can't go there because it's been taken over by pirates," he said with a choked tone. He grabbed his can of coke and took a long gulp.

"Pirates." My voice tried to mask the humour I found in his accusation.

"Yes—well no—but, yes! Pirates in a sense—they're liars, backstabbers, and thrill seekers."

"You forgot the buried treasure," I said with a smirk.

He dropped his hand down to his side. "You don't even know what you're talking about. You wouldn't be laughing if you knew this crew—they'll do anything just for the sake of checking it off."

"Checking it off what? A list?"

"I don't know! It doesn't matter."

"Who are they—how do you even know them?"

He paced the room. "We used to hang out in the parks on your side of town. Racing was just a thing for fun—bragging rights and stuff. It was popular during weekends. Then they came along…"

"Who Jacob?"

"Maksim and his little followers."

Jacob was right. If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't be laughing. And before his name, I hadn't taken it seriously. But I knew Maksim. I had my own little history with him, my own secrets. "Maksim. I saw him the other night." I wasn't planning on telling Jake much else though.

"Maksim?"

"I stole his bike."

The night lost its quiet. I noticed the wind. I noticed the moans of the tilted building we were standing beneath. I even heard the noise emitting from Jacobs thoughts—and then he said them. "_S-stole_ his bike? This dirt bike—this one I've been messing with!—is his? Bella—"

"What's the big deal? If you hate him so much, it's kind of funny then. You get to stick it to him."

"The last time I got to _stick it to him_ he nearly killed me."

I believed it. But I pretended I didn't. "You're being lame."

"No I'm not. It was a race—I won, knocking him out of a spot for the finals. In return, he literally knocked me out by taking out my bike while going over a risky flyer—I hit the ground on my neck. My body felt like it split in half. I don't know how I wasn't paralyzed. That was a few months ago. I haven't been back since."

I should have been worried—anyone would have been. But I wasn't. I was anxious. I wanted to be in his position—I wanted the thrill of the race against the baddest badass out there. And maybe I could win…

"Would there be a race tonight? It's Saturday night—we should go."

There it was again—the sound of the wind laughing its shoulders in my face, the sound of death's eyes pealing back in fear for me. Jacob stared in amazement—like I hadn't heard anything he was saying. I don't think I did.

"I'm kidding."

Jacob sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "God you're not funny."

"I think I am."

"I need a break from all of this," he said. He nodded towards the open barn door, where the sun was setting, and the hillside opened up to the ocean. "What do you say?"

"What do I say about what?"

"Cliff diving."

My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn't want to show my fear. "Umm...okay," I said, even though there was no way I was getting in the water.

-x-

"I'm not doing it Jake. It's too rough out there." That wasn't the only reason I couldn't jump off the cliff.

"It's only like fifteen feet. This is barely a cliff and the water is perfectly calm today." He touched my elbow to pull me towards him.

"Don't touch me Jake," I said in a panick, scared he was thinking what I knew he was thinking.

He had a stupid grin on his face. I don't know why I even came.

And then he grabbed me.

"Jacob no—"

His arms wrapped around me and picked me off the ground too easily. I screamed like a madman, my worst fear in the world about to occur—

And then it did.

Jacob jumped over the edge of the cliff, taking me with him, and all I could do was dig my nails into his shoulder blades and clutch onto him like my life depended on it—my life did.

We plummeted like an anchor headed straight for the bottom, and I didn't stop screaming until the water was over my head. Our bodies sliced into a swell without even feeling the slap of the water, my shoes filling with ocean first, my clothes filling from the inside, out. The waves' motions were even greater beneath the water, and immediately, we started pounding up through the surface until my ears were no longer clogged with water and my eyes weren't burning from the salt.

"Jesus Fuck—" I held onto his body like a life raft, my arms wrapping around his neck. "Don't let me go Jacob!" I screamed at him.

He laughed but held onto me anyway. I don't know how he was staying above the water. Actually, I don't know how _I_ was staying above the water. "There isn't even a current today, relax," he told me, brushing off my concerns. He didn't understand my situation.

"_Get me to shore now_!" I yelled, pushing myself practically on top of him.

"Bella you're going to drown me," he said, pushing me away from him.

I panicked. "Jake stop! Just let me hold onto you! I don't want to be swept away!"

He actually laughed at me, but let me climb onto his back and tow me to shore. As soon as he started walking on the ground, I jumped off his back and ran to the sand, collapsing on the ground.

"You good?" Jake asked, grinning huge.

I glared up at him, my heart going a million miles a minute. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" I quickly got to my feet and shoved him in the chest. "Do that again and I'll fucking kill you. I swear to God—"

"Okay, Jeez. It wasn't even a rough day. It was just a joke."

"Yeah it was hilarious."

He stared at me, his eyes tracing over my soaking body. I had my arms protectively across my body. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "You can't swim can you." There was no question to his tone. He just watched me, waiting for a reaction.

"Of course I can swim. That would be childish," I lied.

"Bella you should have said something. I could have killed you." He looked at me like I was the one in the wrong, when really I was the victom.

"I can swim Jacob. Just leave it alone." I turned my back to him, but he was there beside me, keeping pace with me as we walked back to the barn. I let him lead us the long way back, as I needed the time to cool off, and he didn't say a word about the incident. While we walked under the moonlight, I glared at the dark space in front of us, angry that my secret had surfaced.

We got back to the barn eventually, and I decided that Jake was just a typical boy, so I didn't hold my girl grudge for long.

"Let's call it a night—I'll drive you home if you like," he said.

I looked up at him with confusion. Water was dripping off his face and down into his wet shirt. I felt it doing the same on my own skin. I still felt spooked from the water.

"Or not."

"That's right." I circled my bike slowly, and noticed how even with all the work Jacob put into it, it still had a long way to go. It wasn't anything to brag about yet. But even in its beginning stage, I wanted to get it out—set it free, in a way. "Jacob I want to take it out."

He didn't need to say anything—the look on his face, like I was the crazy with a 'k', said it all. I looked away from him, away from his accusing eyebrows, and traced the handle bars with light fingers. He waved his hand in front of my face. I sighed and looked up at him and smiled. He wasn't. "What's the matter with you?" His tone flew into the air and circled around the room while he did, his hands dancing through his hair until they dropped to his sides. "I have spent the entire day under coating and protecting the engine just to see if it can be salvaged at all, and instead of waiting for the pieces to dry and the wires to clear out, you want to potentially ruin all my days hard work—"

"Jacob! Jesus Christ. It's just a little ride—"

"Liar!" Again, his tone was so high that it took him into a mocking laugh. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning, but he placed his hand on his knees, bent over, and tried to look into my fleeing eyes. "Why won't you look at me, Bella? Eh?" I could hear the smile in his voice, and without meaning to, I was biting back a half smirk. "See!" he declared like he had found the treasure that everyone had denied existed.

I grabbed a hold of myself and found a serious face. "See what?" I asked like it was the most ridiculous question. "You see nothing."

He shook his head and came right up in front of me. I scraped the back of my teeth with my tongue while I waited for his amused look on his face to go away. It didn't. "You want to go to the race tonight..." His voice became lower, but it never disappeared. "And that's a fact—I can see it in your eyes. Look at you!"

"Fine! Okay! I want to do it! It's not a big deal…" I trailed when I saw his head stop shaking his mockery at me. "I mean, the bike will be just as much of a piece of shit tonight as it is tomorrow—"

"—Bella it's not smart—"

"—whatever Jake, it's not your bike anyway!"

"It's not yours either! I think you're forgetting that part—Maksim is going to be at the race—probably in it too—and what? You're just going to go 'Oh hey this is my bike I stole from you I'd like to use it to race against you'. 'Cause I can tell you how that's going to go down—he'll kill you! Maksim Smirnov will kill you with his bare, biker gang hands. And I'll laugh because I'll be able to say I told you so. And then I'll keep the bike for myself."

I stared in awe when his performance was through.

"You know it's true—humour aside, that's how it works with him."

"Jacob…" I tried not to whine, but it just sort of came out that way. I found my childish roots, and then pathetic, droopy eyes followed after. "I want to go…I don't want to go home just yet. One race tonight, and then you can keep it here until it's done." Jacob shook his head, but I continued on. "I'm obviously going no matter what," I said, trying my hand at a firm stance. "I just wish you would come with me." But did I? I don't know when that became apart of the issue, but suddenly, his presence somehow made the race more epic—then it crossed my mind. "Jake you need to come and be in it too."

"What? Now you're being stupid."

"Why? You said so yourself that you've been in them before. It's nothing new."

"It's not me I'm worried for—"

"Well come and race with me, and then you won't have to worry about the bike. If something happens, you'll be there and it will be fine."

I watched him as he shook his head, but unlike before, his eyes stayed in the distance weighing the options. It was a done deal. I knew it.

"Okay? It will be fun. I want to see how well this Maksim kid can ride—but more importantly, I want to see how well I can keep up. I _know_ I can Jake. I just _know_ it—"

"Fine."

I inhaled. "What?"

"I said fine." He pretended to be indifferent to the whole ordeal, but I could tell his guts were ripping at the seam like my own, the thrill as the cause. "One condition though."

"And what's that?"

"We spray paint your bike—just for now to conceal it."

I grinned like a madman. "Of course," I said slickly. "You can pick the color."

-x-


	16. NOTHING IS NEVER NOTHING

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 16: NOTHING IS NEVER NOTHING**

_**Edward Cullen**_

I can't see Charlie's house from our back deck even though we share the same lake. His house is hidden around a bend and in a different cove than ours. Even if I got into one of our motor boats or sea-does and drove up to his lot, his house wouldn't be in view—the man liked his privacy so he kept the tall trees, unlike my family who cut them down on our own lot to have an extra view of the lake. But even though I can see down to our docks and see the water sparkling from the moon, I can't see everything I want to see.

Tonight I have plans. Plans for nothing. But this nothing could lead to something—someone, maybe—or it could be nothing. I don't mind nothing. I've been living under its roof for a long time. Actually, that's a lie—I do mind it. It's terrible living with nothing.

"Edward." I heard Emmett try and pinch through the small opening of the sliding doors that I had slid through. I could hear his struggle until he gave up and opened it all the way. He wasn't the ninja I was.

"Hello," I said when he walked up beside me. He leaned onto the railing beside me and mimicked my peering into the night.

"What's up buddy?" he asked. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and then turned my face to him. I gave a nod—the universal acknowledgement. That's when he gripped my upper shoulder and began to squeeze it.

I pretended I didn't feel the pain. "Nice night eh?" I asked looking up at the stars as his clench tightened.

"Oh yeah—great evening for a run. Ask me why I would know that, Edward."

"No I'm good—"

"Okay I'll tell you—I fucking went for a run because some asshole stole my fucking Jeep."

I grabbed onto his wrist when my shoulder began to ache. It takes great power for a vampire to feel pain. That power was being fuelled by Emmett's anger. I deserved it. "Emmett you're going to rip my arm off."

"Oh is it your driving arm?" He tugged a bit harder, and when I contorted my face to finally show the pain, he shoved me away from him. "Take my Jeep again Edward and I'll tell Rosalie you were the one who backed into her car."

"That was two years ago."

"I'd be pissed if I knew my brother was lying to me for that long."

"You would."

He lunged at me but I had enough practice from earlier today to spin out of it and jump back into the house and slide the door behind me. I locked the doors just as he tried to yank them open. He was stuck on the outside. I waved at him.

"Let me in Edward," he said without any emotion in his voice.

I put my ear up to the glass and then moved it away, pretending I couldn't hear him.

"Edward don't be such a child."

I looked over my shoulder. Carlisle was looking at me like I was the biggest disappointment he had ever come across. He liked reminding me. "Calm down there," I told him, rolling my eyes. "It's just a joke." I moved away from the door and walked over to the fridge.

"Of course it is," he said without humour. He then walked over to the sliding door and unlocked it. Emmett stepped into the house quietly. I didn't have to turn to know he was standing behind me—the punch in the lower back was his signature style.

"Emmett don't encourage him," Carlisle said before heading down the hall to his office.

I stared into the fridge, lost like usual in a house that I belonged too much in. "You drink all the cokes Emmett?"

"Yeah I did."

"Perfect. I didn't want one anyway," I said sarcastically before closing the door. I turned to Emmett. He was leaning on a counter, arms crossed, watching me. "What are you doing tonight?" I didn't actually care.

"Rose is at a movie with the girls."

I stared at him. "And so that means you can't do anything."

Emmett shrugged. "I don't feel like hanging out with anyone else but her."

I chuckled and walked over to a bar stool, taking a seat at the island. "How cute."

"Yeah love is adorable, eh Edward?" His smirk became wide, and in his head, he mocked me. He thought I didn't know what he had. But I believed otherwise—I at least had a taste of it, I thought.

I left him in the kitchen and entered the family room, where Jasper was on the couch, watching a western. "Hello cliché."

"There's nothing else on—nothing that caught my eye, anyway," he said in his slow, concentrated voice. Jasper had that way about him—that tone that made the world faint. I saw it in girls' eyes and minds every time he spoke up; he could convince an entire room to kill themselves for him because he was simply an innocent, charming guy. I'm not jealous though. No. "Cranky Edward?" he asked, looking over the couch and cocking an eye at me. I'd punch him in the face if I wouldn't feel like an asshole after.

"Just bored," I said before taking a seat beside him. Emmett followed after me, grabbing the seat next to Jasper and flicking the channel in the process. On TV, a BMX commercial flew across the screen. I shifted in my seat, making the connection to the person I had been thinking about all day and evening.

Then Emmett jumped up. "Oh shit! I forgot—tonight's the race!"

I perked up a bit. Jasper did as well. "You want to go and watch?" he asked. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea." I had to agree. Those races were actually quite entertaining—ridiculously dangerous for those reckless humans—but entertaining just the same. And as soon as I had that thought—the image of the flying bikes, the crashes, the dirt flying behind the speeding engines—I realized who else would find that entertaining. It was my chance to cross paths with Charlie's kid in a crowd.

"I think we should go and watch," I blurted before jumping up from the couch.

Emmett shook his head. "Not for me—I'm in it to win it."

I chuckled at the ridiculousness of Emmett racing. "That's a bit unfair."

"How so?" Jasper asked with a sly smile before turning off the TV. "Emmett is terrible at motocross, let alone even sitting on a moving bike."

Emmett ignored him and moved to the garage. I followed behind him and grabbed my keys off the hook. I wanted to drive because that meant I could choose when and where we went. Jasper tossed me my leather jacket just as he put his own on. Emmett whistled. "Wow don't we all look fresh," he said, holding his helmet under his arm and his own leather jacket over his shoulder. He stood in front of his bike like he was already a champion. He looked ridiculous. "If I win tonight…" he shoved an arm into the sleeve of his jacket. "What will you guys do?"

"Nothing," I said, getting into the car and starting the engine. I rolled down the window. "Come on Jasper. Get in."

Jasper held up his palm to me. "Chill out for second." He turned and peered at Emmett, and that's when I saw all the ridiculous consequences he was thinking up on the spot—skinny dipping, eating _none-liquid_ food, wearing a dress in public—and I had to roll my eyes. Jasper was a conniving girl when it came to this kind of crap. "If you lose, you have to…you have to…ask a girl out tonight."

I stared out my windshield, not surprised that Emmett's torment would torment some other being. That was the only way embarrassment could work—it can't affect just one person. "Let's go! This is stupid…" But I was hiding a smirk. I knew Rosalie's jealousy—it was one of her insecurities—and it could be good payback if she happened to find out…

"Pssh, you're on. I'll ask out the meanest, baddest girl there, and she'll fall to her knees like they all do." Emmett shook hands with Jasper, sealing the deal that would bite him hard in the ass later.

I smirked. "Come on Jasper, we've got a race to watch."

"I'll see you boys there," Emmett yelled over his own revving engine after he started it without trouble. He peeled out of the garage in front of me, and when Jasper finally jumped into the passenger side, I backed out after him, closing the garage door behind us.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

"Whose is that?"

Jacob looked at the one on the inside seam, near the left side interior pocket. We had already painted the bike—a lovely lime green too, with black spotty trim for the hell of it—and now the next job was making me look like a boy. "It's a size small—must be Leah's. But the red stripe down the back is boyish enough. She's pretty manly now that I think about it."

I grabbed the jacket from him and sighed. It would have to do. I just wasn't sure a tight leather jacket would make me look male. At least it fit over the hoodie. I'd just have to wear biking gloves to cover my thin hands, and make sure my pony tail didn't fall out of the helmet—that would be something else right there.

"I thought you said you didn't know girls." I don't know why I said that. I was just getting nervous. My own comfortable jeans were too skinny to look boyish, so I had on this Leah person's army print—yeah, _army _print—cargo pants. They were covered in paint splatters too and had holes in the knees—I looked fucking ridiculous. At least my Chucks were my own.

"She's barely a girl—actually, I think she's a lesbian."

I glared at Jake.

"What?"

"Don't say that. Not acting like a slut doesn't mean that—I hate people who make that connection with tom boys and lesbians."

"Jeez. Sorry. She's just a close family friend—I'm used to bugging her, and she is to. It's nothing she hasn't heard before, trust me."

I ignored him and walked out of his room. It was getting too claustrophobic. His whole house was. It was dark and scary and furniture looked like it was slowly approaching me. And then it did—a chair wheeled straight for me, and I screamed. My back hit the wall before Jake turned on a light.

"What?" His tone was angry. But then he followed my shocked eyes.

I felt stupid seeing the man in the wheelchair. He didn't look too impressed either at my childish behaviour. His face was blank and he just stared at my eyes, accusing me of thinking hateful things. "I'm sorry I didn't realize there was a person in the chair…err wheelchair…sorry..." I felt like I was giving a speech to people who didn't want to hear it. My stomach shook and my heart was beating so fast.

"A lot of people don't see me," he said before he moved out of my way and went into the kitchen.

Jake looked at me and then shook his head in annoyance at his dad. I felt a little relief. "Dad I thought you were at—"

"You thought wrong. I'm going to bed Jacob. Try not to be so loud." He wheeled passed us through the tight hallway. My back was straight and pressed right up against the jip rock. His dad didn't even look at us before he entered his bedroom.

I glared at Jacob. He shook his head and led us out of the house and into the night. I slapped him in the arm. "Why the fuck didn't you introduce us or something! That was so awkward! You didn't tell me you're dad was home, nor did you tell me he was a paraplegic!"

"Oh my god, you're ridiculous. Next time I meet someone I'll be sure to say 'Hey my dads in the house right now and he's a paraplegic'. Yeah that would be quite the icebreaker—I don't know why I never thought of that."

"Fuck you Jake."

He laughed. "Whatever. You're being stupid. No one cares—you shouldn't either."

I walked towards the barn. My bike was there, along with my helmet and the glowing skull face spray painted on the back of it. I cared more about that helmet than anything I ever had in my life. No one else cares though—Jake's right. No one cares about my life and the things I like. No one cares about each other. No one cares about anything anymore. "Let's just get out of here," I said when I touched the seat of my dirt bike with my hand.

"Whatever. Maybe you should use some of that pissed off energy in the race—you're going to need it." He passed me a pair of black motocross gloves. They were flexible and gummy, and the knuckles glowed blue and the last three fingers were red. They were tight and I wondered if my fingers would be able to move around the handle brake and clutch.

I pushed the thought out of my mind and looked at Jake. "Don't tell me what I'm going to need. I know what I'm doing. It's you who should be worried."

He shrugged and slipped on his full face helmet. Before he shut the visor, he had a warning of his own. "Don't take off your helmet tonight—girls aren't allowed to be in the races."

Of course they weren't. It was Maksim's race. But when I put on my helmet and started the bike, all I could picture was the look on Maksim's face when he realized he was beat by a girl.

-x-


	17. THE GREAT ABYSS

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 17: THE GREAT ABYSS**

_**Edward Cullen**_

Apparently my brothers and I weren't the only people interested in a little blood, guts and dirt. After ten minutes of speeding down dark, lonely streets, and crossing out of the moonlit town, we were at a standstill behind a long line of honking cars and revving engines.

"Why's the road so damn slim," I cursed, slamming my right hand on the wheel and covering my forehead with my left hand. "There's no where to go—we're stuck".

"Welcome to the back roads of Forks, Edward. They're called one-way streets for a reason." Jasper was too calm beside me. Maybe because he was the passenger and didn't have to worry about the dirt-bikes passing the long line of shit-box cars and scraping up the sides of the one car actually worth something—it wasn't _his_ damn Volvo, it was mine. But even though the riders thought they had the advantage, eventually the road started to turn to dirt, and then it became so tight that they had to wait impatiently just like the rest of us who would be watching them kill themselves later.

Emmett wasn't one of the dirt-bikes having to wait because he was already long gone. He had lost us even before we left the driveway, and now one could only assume he had the best position on the track, waiting for the rest of the racers to pull up next to him after they put in their dues. He even had it in his head before we left of putting in a side bet with anyone on the line next to him—that's how cocky the son-of-a-bitch was! He really thought he was going to win. I silently hoped he failed, and maybe even embarrassed himself while he was out there. This outlook brightened my mood a little—it didn't last though when I looked in the rear-view mirror.

Jasper saw it too. "There's two dirt-bikes on your left coming this way. They think they can squeeze by—oh shit one of them just nearly clipped a side-mirror off buddy's car back there." Jasper was laughing after. "They won't miss yours though…"

I panicked. "If they hit my car I swear to God—" I cut myself off just as they came up to the back of my car and stopped. As stupid as they were for attempting to pass through the long line of cars, the forest was brushing up against cars now, and that meant there was no space for them to get by. It just took them until my car to realize it. They're lucky they did. "My God they're fucking crazy—I hate teenagers! They're so stupid!"

Jasper looked over his shoulder at the two bikes revving their engines at us. It was the most irritating noise, and I knew that if I looked back at them, I'd jump out of the car and push them off their shitty little homemade craft-projects. I don't know why I found the whole situation so stressful—maybe I knew it was a long shot of finding Bella here tonight, and I was taking it out on ignorant humans.

"Those are sad looking bikes. I hope they're not all spray painted and rusting like those ones." Jasper turned back around and sighed, finally feeling the wait getting to him. "Maybe it's smart though; what's the point of ruining a brand new bike? Those crappy bikes will give the riders more courage—they literally have nothing to lose. It should be interesting."

I leaned on the side dash and glared at the two riders through the side mirror. Neither of them had on proper riding gear. They'd regret their casual appearances once the road-rash stripped off half their skin. I sighed and continued to glare at the guy closest to my car. I was getting nervous at his proximity, and the only thing keeping me from jumping out at him was the line started to move ahead.

"Finally," Jasper said. "Maybe we'll get to the scene before you attack someone."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't foresee that happening for as long as those damn bikes were on my ass.

-x-

_**Bella Swan**_

Jacob was leading because I had no idea where this little race was going to be. I wasn't aware that it would be taking place literally in the woods, nor did I realize that it was going to be so packed with people. I was getting nervous passing cars jammed full of screaming guys and girls; they were here for the excitement, and I was supposed to give it to them—I didn't want to let them down.

My headlight, the cars headlights, and the moonlight streaming through the tops of the trees lit up the road and showed me that the space was getting crammed. This in particular back-road looked like it had just been dug out by construction workers and was not ready for so many vehicles. I'm sure we weren't even allowed here, and if cops found out, it would be one difficult mess trying to run—there wouldn't be a way out, I'm sure. But these worries came to a shocking stop, though, when Jacob's bike suddenly stopped in front of me, and I stopped just in time.

"Jesus fuck Jacob!" I yelled over the honking cars and screaming girls. He didn't hear me of course—he just turned around and pointed to the car in front of him. I looked around him and saw the silver Volvo blocking our way. I shook my head and leaned back on my seat, adjusting my gloves while I glared at the silver car. The Volvo stuck out hugely amongst the other beaten in, worn out lemons in front and behind it. _Some people_ apparently had parents who shelled out anything their child desired and weren't aware of the wild things he or she would be doing with it later. But as sour as I was, it really was a nice car though. I knew that because it immediately reminded of the night the boy—what was his name? Edward, I believe—picked me up when I was lost and then ruined the night by falling to the law of Charlie. I had forgotten about how much I enjoyed myself, even if it ended badly. Since then I've had bigger things—like Maksim and blacking out and not having the appetite for life—to worry about. Unconsciously though, I knew Edward was in my mind—I just hadn't realized it until this moment, and now I was wishing I'd see him again. He made the back of my mind stretch out to include him, and my stomach widen out so that my heart could drop if it wanted to.

Jacob moved ahead in front of me when the line of cars started up again. He slipped past the Volvo quickly once enough space allowed it, leaving me in his dust. I edged up on the car slowly in case the asshole driving decided to close the space suddenly—instead of that happening though, the road became small again, and I came to a halt right next to the driver's side window where I nearly clipped off the side-mirror. I cursed under my breath when I realized I was trapped next to the driver, and when the tinted window slowly started lowering, I cringed on the inside.

"_Watch it there buddy or I'll make sure you don't even make it to the track!"_ the loud voice said to me. I looked over expecting some little preppy mother's boy and his girlfriend with angry looks on their faces, but what I got was _un-expectantly, expected_.

It was Edward glaring at me from the car, his eyes dark like the night sky, his skin translucent under the moon-light, his dark-circles matching my own. Immediately I choked on my breath—his irritated anger was intimidating, and therefore attractive. Had he always been this sharp looking and dangerous? I had never noticed it before. I couldn't stop staring at his eyes set by his pissed-off face.

But then he moved ahead, not even recognizing me—why would he though? I was unrecognizable, and the covered helmet helped. Strangely though, I wanted him to know it was me behind the helmet. I wanted him to see that unlike the night we met, no one would be catching me tonight. I had plans to be alone on the finish line, the first one crossing it.

When the space came available, I sped past his car, but instead of staying cool, I gave him the finger just to keep up the façade. I knew that signal alone would piss him off a little more, but it was worth it if it meant keeping up the badass biker image.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

"You're an asshole, you know that right?"

I put my window back up after screaming out the window, informing the coward that he was just that—a fleeing, spineless bastard. But he just scrambled away, not even looking over his shoulder, leaving us with the image of his glowing skull & crossbones on the back of his helmet. "Why didn't he even look back?—he just pretended he couldn't hear and left. I hate that."

"Maybe 'cause he couldn't, Edward. As loud as you were, his bike is louder."

"It's a piece of shit, that's what it is. I hope Emmett pounds him tonight—actually, I'll make sure Emmett knows to."

"Edward..."

"Shut it."

And he did. I didn't hear a single word from Jasper until we made it to the scene, and then he was yapping away again.

"Interesting choice of destination—who would have thought to investigate a construction spot? It's quite perfect."

"_Quite_, indeed." But even though I was mocking him, I did internally agree. The place was a massive closed worksite for the forest industry, probably spanning hundreds of acres—not that the view was visible. Temporary man-made roads led the string of cars up an incline to an area with signs that said "_Absolutely No Trespassing_". Of course, all the cars drove passed the signs and over the cut chain-link that wasn't deterring anyone from entering the site, and then the road widened into a clear-cut area where tractors and other equipment were parked. Everyone seemed to be parking and then leaving their cars to venture on foot, so Jasper and I did the same, leaving the Volvo after locking it.

"This is interesting," I said as we followed the mass of drunkards and laughing teenagers up the incline to overlook what could only be described as _a pit_. There were no words for what we overlooked. It was the largest blasting zone I had ever seen, not that I had much experience in construction sights. "Wow," I said lowly, shaking my head in disbelief. The place was fantastic.

"Wow is right," Jasper said.

Around one football field large, the pit looked to have been blasted out by workers because of the solid rock beneath the mud piles and dirt. But if one overlooked the construction material, dump trucks, and overturned logs, it was the prime area for a motocross style race, and really, the place to view one. Onlookers got to watch the race from the high points around the circle, like a bird's eye view of everything.

Jasper and I followed the crowds around the pit and ignored the girls that tried to hang off our shoulders or grab our hands for attention—they were drunk and we weren't interested. We had just come for the entertainment—well, mostly.

"There's Emmett," Jasper said. "Emmett!" he yelled over the noise of engines and obnoxiously loud voices. Emmett had been standing with a group of guys while his bike was ready in position down in the pit. He quickly jogged over to us with a he grin on his face.

"What are you so excited about?" I asked already knowing his answer.

"Just a little side bet, nothing big." His smirk widened. "I've got this in the bag."

Jasper looked at me, expecting to see an "I-told-you-so" look from me, but I was too caught up in the idea of Emmett taking out the guy who had given me the finger. "Emmett when you get to the starting line, see if you can find a skinny dude with a skull on the back of his helmet."

"Why?" Emmett asked.

"I overheard him a few moments ago mouthing off about this being a joke—maybe you could show him who the real joke is?" Of course it was all a lie, but I knew Emmett would react with vengeance, and the look on his face told me I was right.

"Are you kidding me—I'll make sure buddy doesn't even make it across the finish line."

"Sounds good," I said with a satisfied grin. Even though I was here to see if Bella showed up, I didn't see the hurt in having a little fun of my own. Humans pissed me off more than anything—I'd show them what happens when you get on my bad side.

Jasper shook his head at me. I didn't even care. There was something about this guy that got under my skin. He was recklessly ignorant, and I hated that. But Emmett agreed to keep a lookout for him and left us, allowing us to find a space to watch the blood fly. While the route of the track was being formed, a few boys had come up with the idea of sitting on top of some tractor equipment, while others fanned out around a pile of logs, disregarding the dangers, and sat happily at the highest points of the lot. Strangely enough, there were several bleachers on one side of the circle. I wasn't sure why they would be in the middle of nowhere, unless this place wasn't as off-limits as I thought. It was just weird thinking construction workers would have a purpose for them—which I'm sure they didn't. They must have been moved from somewhere else, or brought in unknowingly. Maybe this construction zone hasn't been as active as I thought.

"Bleachers? What is this, a high school football match?" I asked Jasper as we moved towards the crowded seats.

Jasper chuckled like he always did. "They hide them in the forest—a couple guys just tugged them out. Says a lot about how serious they take these matches. They're just a couple two-by-fours pinned down on stacked metal canisters—it's as homemade as it comes."

Jasper and I found seats towards the back of the bleachers, amongst the screaming, drunk teenagers. It was extremely irritating, but still entertaining, especially knowing that Emmett was one of the stupid chaps ready to be thrown off his bike. My biggest concern wasn't the race though—I had other plans in keeping a look out for Charlie's kid. It was proving to be difficult so far; there were too many people, and she was known for remaining in the background of pictures, mysterious as usual. She was a girl after my own heart, and I was ready to give it to her if she wanted it.

I just needed to find her—if she was even here…

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

The place was out of control.

I had never seen anything like it. People were screaming and falling all over each other, bikes were flying around and spitting dirt, and of course, music was blasting—what teenage hangout didn't have loud music? It was too much, really, and now knowing Edward was here—_God, Edward was here_—I felt self-conscious and didn't want to make a fool of myself, even if he had no idea who I was behind the helmet.

I followed Jacob down the only hill that led into the pit and drove towards a group of nearly ten bikes whose riders were standing around, passing money to a dark figure. When we got closer, my stomach dropped. It was Maksim accepting the dues tonight. He wore an obnoxiously coloured motocross jacket and a stupid bandana through his dark hair. I wanted to punch the douchebag already.

Jacob didn't even hesitate though. He drove right up to the group, got off his bike, and yanked off his helmet. Maksim stopped talking immediately and moved out of the group towards Jake. I stayed on my bike, but turned it off to see if I could hear their voices.

"Jacob Black—what a surprise. It's been what? Three months, more maybe? Nice of you to come out of hiding."

"Jacob shrugged. "Can't stay away for long—just here to possibly win some money."

Maksim laughed. "Sure you are."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Jacob said before pulling out some bills from his pocket. Some of the boys around him chuckled, while others looked at Jake like he was crazy for calling Maksim out. I agreed with those that were in fear of Maksim—it was stupid to start bad mouthing someone who had the power to reject you.

But Maksim just glared at him. "Fair enough," he said, totally unfazed by his tone or choice of words. "It's fifty-bucks tonight." I didn't understand his non-chalant attitude. He was a difficult person to decipher—a hidden evil that tricked naïve people like me. I knew better now, hopefully.

Jake handed him a couple bills. "Here's a hundred—for me and my bud." Jake nodded towards my bike, where I was perched like a waiting victim, and Maksim looked up at me. I felt his gaze taking in my bike, causing my heart rate to pick up. Would he recognize his bike through the torn out pieces and sloppy paint job?

Apparently not.

"That's one shitty crotch rocket," Maksim said before accepting the money. The guys around him laughed, and I felt my face burn with hatred. It was better than him recognizing the shit as his own though—that would have landed me under his fists for sure. The only thing keeping me calm was the hope of doing well in the race and then sticking it to the stupid boy—_I have to win! I just _have_ to!_

"Should be pretty easy to beat then, eh Maks?" Jacob asked.

Maksim didn't answer him. He turned his back on us, already ignoring us, but that's when I noticed the old man from the night Maksim's gang had terrorized me. He was doing the same creepy dance from last time, swinging his arms around and kicking out his legs. He was high on something, that was for sure. I just didn't understand him—why did Maksim allow an old, homeless looking man on the scene, and why did he want to be there in the first place? Whatever the reason, Maksim's whole group gave me the creeps—there was something off about all of them. Strangely enough though, it's what drew me to them. That's how foolish I was, apparently. My curiosity was too great.

Everybody loves a thrill seeker, and Maksim's gang was the definition of thrilling. Maybe if I stopped being so terrified of them…maybe I could look at them in a new light. Maybe I could understand their idea of thrilling. I'd love that—then again, maybe I'm dreaming.

Jacob didn't want anything to do with them. He was already on his bike and motioning for me to follow—so I did. We moved right up to the starting line, beside the other bikes whose riders were off making bets or greeting fans. A girl with thick red hair tied in a bun at the top of her head and glow sticks around her neck taped our racing numbers on our backs. I was lucky number 13, the last to enter the race. She wished us good luck and moved away from the track when the rest of the guys came over to their bikes. They said some obnoxious things to her, but she walked away with a straight back and a swing in her hips—something I didn't have enough balls for, anyway.

In the stands, if that's what I could call them, fans cracked their own glow sticks and lit their own fireworks, turning the old school dirt-race into some sort of night rave. It was scary—the fans were wild, but I told myself they would be cheering my number by the end of the night. I promised myself that.

The track was ready and all of us were on our bikes, ready for the shot gun, while the crowds of bodies screamed and threw beer bottles down into the pit, their anticipation killing them. I couldn't blame them—I felt the same nerves streaming through my feet and all the way up to my finger tips. I couldn't let it take advantage of me though—stage fright could get a person killed out here, especially on a track as dangerous as this, let alone with my lack of experience.

It's true—I didn't have much experience. I was used to four wheelers and path races through forests, not pit races on two wheels around an endless circle of dirt mounds, logs, and bumps that separated the boys from the men. I was on an entirely different level then—I was the _girl_ who'd break the bounds and show that the underdog was just as capable as the rest. It couldn't be that hard, right? It was like any other race basically—just keep the speed up, avoid the brakes, and don't let anyone cut you off. I knew what I needed to do, I just had to work my way around the new elements of dangerous, rock hard earth, slippery mounds, and of course, Maksim, who was three men down on my left, boasting with another dude about how badass this race was.

Jacob, who was on my right, flipped up his visor. "Don't do anything stupid," he yelled over the engines and music. I nodded and revved my engine, ready in position like everyone else. Jacob flipped his visor back down, shook his head, and stared forward, getting into concentration mode like the rest of us.

Then, from the hood of a dump truck, a voice came over a megaphone, instructing riders to the starting line. We inched our way to the very top. I looked up and saw that it was the old man who spoke the instructions for the race. He was being lit up by a few car headlights in the distance, and held a few glow sticks in his left hand while he yelled into the megaphone. His voice was rough and cracked when he started to shake, almost like the humid night brought a chill to his bones. Maybe it did—he certainly brought a chill to mine with his instructions. _"Lad'dies and Gents,"_ he began with his pirate accent. _"'Nite buggers and crawlies…"_ The crowd went insane with noise and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. _"I welcome yee to the bottomless pit, whose ways will eat'em up like the ocean takes the lads from his bones."_ The crowd still cheered, regardless of his non-sense chatter. Maybe that's why he was around—he was pure entertainment. _"On the sound of the horn, yee are free from thee constraints—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum_!" On that last note of insanity, the crowds instantly burst at the seams, their voices cutting through the engines and music of the night. The noise rang through my body and made my skin itch—I was already falling apart and I hadn't even crashed.

I sat on the edge of my seat, my glowing hands shaking like the teeth in my head. I was pathetically losing confidence as the monster in the stands grew his. _Pull it together!_ I told myself. _Pull it together! _And just as I squared my shoulders and bit down on my lower lip, the air-horn blared through the other noise, letting us off our lines and into the abyss.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Emmett was on the far right of the track, his red helmet glowing in the moonlight and headlights of cars parked dangerously close to the edge of the pit. The crowd was a wild animal, but when the air-horn went off, they were all on their feet, and Jasper and I were with them, letting the mob-mentality eat away at our beings. We screamed and cursed with them, and fell into the ways of reckless, carefree humans. It felt great.

Emmett had gotten a good start and pushed himself to the top, brushing shoulders with three others. The track required five loops to finish, and Emmett was already in front, taking advantage of a good head start and wrangling through the outer edge to avoid the hard bumps and drops. After two laps, four bikes had already taken a few jumps too hard and miscalculated the landing, crashing their bodies to the ground and limping off to the side before riders could come around and finish them off.

On the third lap, I saw the glowing skull that was meant to be Emmett's target, and I grabbed onto Jasper's shoulder and shook him with excitement. "There's the bastard—can't hide for long! Unlucky number 13!" He trailed behind Emmett like the coward he was, caught up amongst six other dirt bikes that couldn't break free from the pack. But the skull boy wasn't as cowardice as I thought—on the fourth loop he took the sharpest turn and jumped his bike onto a mound of dirt that launched him up and over several other riders, putting him to the left of Emmett and just ahead of Maksim. The crowd screamed in delight. My jaw dropped—I had never seen that type of skill on an amateur level. You only saw that kind of stuff on TV.

"That guys got some skill!" Jasper screamed with a grin on his face. "He's not bad."

I crossed my arms and stood on the tops of my toes, my jaw hard from the fear of this wild boy making it through—Emmett had other plans though. Just as the finishing line came fifty yards up in front of them, Emmett slammed in front of the boys bike, cutting him off in an unsportsmanship way—of course, there was nothing against it in the rule books. Unlucky number 13's bike toppled on top of him only to skid his body across the rock-solid ground, and then slamming him into the bottom of a jump, where he laid motionless with his legs caught up beneath the bike. Emmett, who expected the move to gain him first place, mistakenly let his bike be taken down with the boy's, and he too was thrown even farther from his bike, landing with a bone shattering hit that of course wouldn't show up on a vampire's rock solid body.

The crowd gasped and then the air-horn blazed when number 12 crossed the line first, Maksim coming in a close second, and the rest of the bikes crossing the line just to say they made it.

"Come on," Jasper said, moving through the bodies and jumping from the bleachers. I followed after him, and stopped beside on the edge of the pit when he did. Below, Emmett was picking up his bike and jumping back onto it before anyone could hassle him for his shady move against the boy who was still pinned beneath his bike. Emmett's bike was fine by the looks of his driving—he found his way up through the hill as the crowds began to disperse. I didn't care where Emmett was headed, nor did I care about our bet—I was just glad he took care of the boy.

But as proud as I should have been, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach that took away from the triumph—I hadn't found Bella yet, and I owed it to that. She wasn't anywhere around, and that put my mood in a dark state.

Had I misjudged Charlie's reckless kid by assuming her presence tonight? Apparently so. She wasn't here tonight, and that fact pissed me off—I had wasted an entire night here, and I wasn't getting it back.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I didn't touch my brakes once—I just kept gearing up and trying to find a way out of the group to the red-helmet that seemed to be leading the way around the track. I ignored the crushing sounds of bikes crashing behind me and found confidence in Jake's early lead—if he could keep up with the lead riders, so could I.

That was my down fall.

After waiting until the final lap, which until that point I had been doing pretty well at avoiding the jumps that launched riders into the unknown, I decided to take the risk of all risks and launch myself off the final jump, which propelled me up and over rider's heads, and landed me amongst the leaders. The thud of two tires landing on the ground safely was the biggest high I had ever felt, and the pressure of the shaking engine made me jump out of my skin—until I literally did, only for different reasons.

The red helmet rider took me out from the right, and before I knew it, the world was horizontal and my skin was peeling off the bone, while the heat of the bike fried it through my ripped pants. There wasn't a single part of my body that didn't feel the jolt of the ground coming up out of nowhere, and then the final blow ended with such an abrupt stop that it knocked me against my own bike and took my breath out of my chest.

As much as the burn ate away at my body, all I could feel was the burn in my gut that told me of my failure—and that alone ate me alive. I lied there for what felt like hours with my eyes closed, angry that I couldn't rip my helmet from my head and do the victory lap I had planned for. There would be no sticking it to Maksim—I had lost. I had looked like a fool, and instead of hearing the crowds chant my number, I got to hear number 12 blaring through their voices—

I snapped my head up when I realized the night hadn't been a complete lost, at least for the boy running towards me. It was Jake, lucky number 12. His helmet was off, and he was running at full speed towards me while everyone else disregarded my existence and headed for the exits while the fireworks exploded in the distance.

"Bella!" he said once he fell to his knees beside me and threw the bike off of me. I could have gotten out of the scene of the crime myself, but I was too distraught with the outcome of the race, so I let him help me to my feet like a little bitch, and allowed him to hold half my weight. "Take off your helmet—"

"Hell no!" I yelled, punching his hand away from my face. "I looked like a fucking moron tonight."

Jacob helped me pick up my bike but shook his head in disapproval. "I beg to differ," he said. "That jump you hit before you were taken out by the asshole—Bella I've never seen anything like that. Where did you get the guts for that?"

I didn't answer him. All I knew was that my guts were spilled over the dirt and bike, along with my dignity, all because of some sorry asshole who took my night from me. Everything had been going so smoothly—I wanted to kill somebody, but the tears near the edges of my eyes took away my confidence to even try and get in a fight. At least Jacob had come out on top. "Jacob you did it at least."

Jacob let go of my body and allowed me to lean on my bike while he overlooked the damage. "Yeah I won 300 bucks tonight. Maksim pockets the rest, but it should be enough to finish fixing up this bike."

I flipped up my visor on my helmet. "Are you kidding me?" I asked. "No way—"

"I've got nothing better to do with it."

I sighed. "Thanks Jake." And then before I could stop him, he handed me over the money into my gloved hand.

"Hold onto it for me okay?"

I nodded even though in the back of my mind, I didn't want to owe anyone anything. That's how selfish I was. Instead of being grateful, I worried about what it required of me in the future. I was an awful human being, and I felt awful in the physical sense as well—my body was ripped to shit, my shoulders ached, and my ass felt like it had done one too many lunges. But I got onto my bike after Jake gave me the go ahead, and with a few false starts, it was up and running.

"I'll meet you up at the front. There's two ways out of here—just wait for me okay?" Jake told me over my choking engine. I nodded and carefully made my way up towards the crowds, where no doubt, Edward was laughing at me.

Thank god he didn't know the coward behind the helmet. At least I had my hidden identity.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Emmett drove up towards Jasper and I after avoiding some groups of people who heckled his fall, while others gave him props for the entertainment aspect of the night. He didn't seem too phased by the incident either. "I tried to take him out without getting tangled in there with him," Emmett said after taking his red helmet off. "But the little prick pulled me down with him. He's going to be feeling that one in the morning, that's for sure!"

Emmett's high spirits made something in me turn. I was in a dark mood myself, and the fact that he could bounce back from such an awful race made me jealous. He wasn't even embarrassed—the bastard was ignorant of any faults at all. He was a better person than I.

"Well are you going to ask a girl out or what? You lost—a deals a deal," Jasper chirped.

Emmett waved him off. "I know, I know. I'll do it, just not here. I need to get out of here—it feels like people are crawling all over my skin. I can't take it. And Maksim is pissed—you should see him! Actually, you wouldn't want to cross paths with that bloke. Hell no," Emmett said.

I wasn't listening though. While Emmett and Jasper laughed about the night events, I was momentarily distracted by a glowing skull and crossbones in the distance, which then disappeared when the figure stepped off his bike and headed through the crowd of people. He looked like he was looking for someone, and while he searched, he carried himself with a painful limp that slowed him down and showed his weakness. I probably should have left him alone because it was evident the kid had been through enough tonight, but something in my bones made my anger re-appear. I decided I wasn't going to let him by me—I wasn't done torturing him.

I moved away from my brothers and intentionally got in the guy's way. He still had his helmet on, and was holding a few bills of money in his hand, probably having just stolen it from the winner. Either way, he was pathetically disorganized looking, and his shoulders were slumped like he had been hit by a truck. That didn't stop me from cutting him off. I grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and picked him up like the lightweight he was and brought him close to my face. _"Not so tough now without your little dirt-bike to run away on, are you punk!" _I hissed before chucking him to the ground. He fell onto his elbows immediately, because like I said, he was extremely weak, which made him lose hold of his money. I picked him right back up by his thin shoulders and shook his whole body. "Quit hiding behind your helmet—let's see your punk-ass face."

That got a reaction from him. He squirmed like a worm, afraid, but I held him with one hand and knocked his helmet off his head—the helmet hadn't even hit the ground before the shock hit me from the startled face I was looking into.

It was Charlie's kid.

"Jesus Christ—"I dropped her without even thinking and she fell onto her elbows again, releasing a hurt of pain from her throat. I was too shocked to do anything but stare at the dark circles beneath her eyes and the way her cheek bones jutted out from her face—she had changed since the last time I had seen her.

She immediately reached beside her and grabbed the money she had dropped while my stomach dropped and my insides turned. I immediately snapped out of it. "I'm so sorry—" I reached for her arm and helped her to her feet, carefully holding onto her delicate body. The thinness of her bones scared me—I could have done damage to her, let alone the fact she survived Emmett's rage on the track. My insides turned; she had been the skull and crossbones kid all along, and I had nearly killed her. I should have known she wouldn't have been at the race—she was _in it_ for Christ sake! She was beyond reckless. There was no saving her now…

"It's fine," she said, her voice shaking. But it wasn't fine. Her eyes darted around the crowd, her nervousness apparent. She moved away from me and grabbed her helmet off the ground. She didn't even look me in the face, and then she slid her helmet back onto her face, concealing her identity.

"_You shouldn't be here,"_ I warned her, pulling her close to the frame of my body so she could hear my warning words. She tried to walk past me again, but I grabbed the top of her arm. "You're going to get killed if you hang around here—" I cut myself off when she flipped the visor of her helmet up and her dark eyes pleaded with me.

"Please don't say anything," she said like the innocent thing she apparently wasn't. "Maksim is already pissed—if he finds out there was a girl in the race, let alone it was me…you don't even know how much trouble I'd be in with him."

Unfortunately, I did know how much trouble she'd be in. In fact, I think it was _her_ who didn't understand the trouble headed her way.

I dropped my hand from her. I already felt the daggers of guilt in my gut, something I never felt—I had nearly killed her tonight by setting my brother against her. "Again I'm sorry about hurting you—" Sirens in the distance cut me off. They were distant but definitely there. The humans couldn't hear them yet by the looks of their non-chalant after party. But then the noise became louder, and people began to become aware of their impending doom.

"Cops!" some frantic voice yelled, and then everyone was yelling and running to their cars.

Bella looked at me franticly and then turned to run—I grabbed her waist before she could flee and twisted her to face me. "I have a car—I'll get you out of here safely. I promise this time."

She shoved me off of her. "_I can't leave my bike_," she said. And then she was running through the bodies of people in the opposite direction. I weaved through the bodies for the second, intending to chase, but Jasper came up out of no where, just as concerned with the sirens in the distance.

"Forget her—we need to leave," he said before pushing me in the direction the crowds were headed. All I could do was go with the flow of bodies and get into the car, our parking spot working in our favour. I peeled out of the area faster than anyone else, but as I sped out of the area, I saw the red and blue flashes of light and couldn't help but feel that sting of regret for the girl I was leaving behind.

And then something inside me clicked, and I couldn't flee.

I slammed on the brakes, causing Jasper to swear. I ignored him and opened the driver side door.

"What are you doing?" he yelled.

"I'll meet you at home—I've got something to do," I said before leaving Jasper with my car.

I had to find Bella—there was no way I was leaving her on her own this time. I owed her my help, considering how much I had put her through tonight.

_I'm a fucking monster,_ I told myself as I ran through the bodies of screaming teenagers. _A heartless, selfish monster._

-x-


	18. NOT EVERYONE LIKES THE SPOTLIGHT

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 18: NOT EVERYONE LIKES THE SPOTLIGHT**

He was supposed to meet me at the top of the pit after getting his dirt-bike, but there I was, parked at the edge, and he wasn't in sight. That meant I had to get off my bike and leave it out in the open while I searched the crowd for his sorry ass. Now my worry wasn't being noticed for being a girl, but being noticed as the loser owner of the lime-green disaster.

But that quickly became impossible.

I was trying to remain anonymous while I looked for Jake, but then out of nowhere my feet were dangling and I was being yelled at for no in particular reason. Even before I could get an idea of what was going on or who was strangling me, I was thrown to the ground, the jolt of my helmet hitting the ground causing me to release Jake's money. The attack wasn't surprising—everybody was drunk—and I knew of all people, why not pick on the skinny fuck up I was. I didn't have time for a reaction because apparently I wasn't done being a victim; I was picked up a second time, and I groaned from the lame situation.

I was tired—the whole night had been one giant exhaustion—and honestly, I wasn't particularly concerned with the situation, nor did I care who was shaking me by the shoulders and yelling into my helmet. It was like I was high—I couldn't concentrate and the world was getting fuzzy. It was like I had all my worries leak out of the bottoms of my feet as soon as they were off the ground. I could kill someone and I wouldn't feel a single thing.

I gave an exasperated sigh—but it quickly turned to choke when I finally looked at the face in front of me.

It was _Edward_.

His green eyes were dark like his leather jacket and his face was a mask of anger. In fact, he was a mad ball of rage, where the only light thing about him was his boyish little bronze hair, messy like the situation, half lit up from the moon behind his shoulders.

Had he bet on me and lost? I imagined he had—this incident couldn't all be about a middle finger and an _almost_ side swipe accident. _Yeah,_ I thought, _what a hopeless sucker._ My teeth rattled in my head as he shook me off the ground like I weighed two pounds instead of a hundred and fifteen. His reaction was understandable—childish, but understandable. I wish _I_ had the guts to jump someone; I wasn't that badass, though, apparently he was. The only thing I was worried about was him finding out—

"_Quit hiding behind your helmet—let's see your punk-ass face."_

And there was my worry. It was back. He couldn't find out who I was—then he'd know _I_ was the lame asshole who had bugged him in the back roads, and then he'd know _I_ was the loser who hadn't even made it across the finish line tonight, and then he'd know _I_ was the weakling who couldn't even keep two feet on the ground. I tried to twist out of his hold and my legs flailed around like a fish, but he was so strong—if I wasn't in this position, I might have been impressed.

And then he knocked the helmet off my face and I immediately stared at him with a look of regret, like a dog that just pissed off his owner. I was back on the ground in half a second, but unlike before, the solid earth ramming me in the ass got a sound out of me.

I let some of my hair fall from my pony tail to hide my face from his gaze. I was beginning to feel the awkwardness of his realization that he had nearly beat up the pathetic, juvenile foster kid he had picked up the other night. I ignored the shock and scrambled to grab my money before it blew away, but then he was of course apologizing and helping me to my feet, no doubt the taste of regret in his mouth. His hands were no longer strong, and he held me like I was a premature infant.

"It's fine," I said, ignoring his hands that wouldn't let me go. He was still shocked—he watched me like a hawk while my eyes searched the perimeter for Jacob. Where the fuck was the kid? He was supposed to meet me at the top of the pit and he was no where in sight. It didn't matter anymore. I worked alone for reasons like tonight. I slipped my helmet back on quickly, thankful for that amount of concealment, even if my identity was already blown.

But then I immediately became aware of Edward's body pressing up against mine, the feel of his clothes touching my own, the smell of the night air and pine somehow rubbed into his neck. _"You shouldn't be here," _he told me. The idea of him looking out for me was the highest high of the night, but his protective, fatherly tone immediately set me back. He knew Charlie—he had said so himself the first night we met, and then he had returned me like a package when Maksim had scared me. Imagine how good the kid would look if he returned me to the cop for a _second time_ in a row.

The top of my arm had a sudden pressure like a shackle around a wrist, only tighter and less frightening, but the control was still there. I stared at him from behind the blackness of my helmet, fully aware of how many people were around and unconcerned with what else he was trying to say to me. I flipped my visor up to get his attention, which worked—he cut himself off. His gaze held my own. He looked scared.

"Please don't say anything," I begged him. It was already bad enough that he knew the girl behind the mask. I couldn't imagine Maksim or anyone else finding out. "Maksim is already pissed—if he finds out there was a girl in the race, let alone it was me…you don't even know how much trouble I'd be in with him." It might have been an exaggeration, but it might not have been, who knows—it was Maksim, and I wanted to beat him before he knew the girl in the dark.

Edward understood. He let me go, his fingers slowly trailing off my leather jacket, so much more careful than only minutes ago. His final apology didn't even register with me because a sound in the distance—was there a sound or was it just me—caught my attention. It was the sound any juvenile teenagers feared, yet the people around me weren't even concerned. I assumed it was their drunkness—until one sorry soul finally pointed out the obvious sound of sirens, and it became a blizzard.

I found Edward's gaze one last time before seeing my bike in the distance, where it sat near a group of guys who were no doubt laughing at how ridiculous it looked. I intended to run to it, but two iron hands locked around my waist, causing my heart to fall into my stomach. I had never felt anything like it—this security, this feeling of solid earth below my feet, like I was meant to be trapped by a boy. Maybe that's why I hesitated and allowed myself to listen to his words.

"I have a car—I'll get you out of here safely. I promise this time." His hands tightened around my hip bones and I could have fallen on the ground, especially knowing I had the chance of falling in love with his driving again. But the thought of leaving my bike—it wasn't possible.

I found my senses again and shook away the lightness in my chest, recovering into the dark, hollowness I was used to. "I can't leave my bike," I hissed, shoving him away from me before I let the irrational heart shoot the thoughts of reason in my head. Thank God I was a reasonable person, and that's why I was able to run away.

The sirens became louder and people's screams sounded like someone was throwing darts in their spines—were they just being, as much as I hated the word, dramatic? I thought so. Cops could only ever chase, and that meant it was everyone's job to run. Luckily, two exits out of the place let cars squeal away, which I imagined Edward was doing now, leaving me like a coward. I'd leave him too, actually, so I was no better.

I threw my visor back down when I came up towards my bike. It was still leaning on its kickstand, and although flashing lights were coming in the distance, a group of boys were still standing around it. I decided to be brave like the redhead from down in the pit, and I walked into the middle of the group like I didn't even see them there, pushing the bike off its kickstand while holding the rest of it against the weight of me. The façade of strong human being worn off as soon as one of the boys reached out and playfully punched my left shoulder, warning me they weren't ready to back off.

"There's the flyer now! We were just talking about you!"

I chuckled lowly, but I couldn't speak up. Sure, I had a low voice, but it wasn't anything like that of a boy's—they knew I was hiding something immediately. But my awkward stance was just as detrimental, apparently. I stood there and tried to wave them off with my hand, making obvious gestures over my shoulder to signify the cops were on their way, but they held onto their beer bottles and continued hassling me. I wanted to kill Jake for not being there.

"Let's see another one of your great falls!" a boy in plaid suggested. I saw what his intentions were before they happened, yet like before, a reaction in me didn't exist. I just swore under my breath when he shoved the bike away from my body, and maybe if I wasn't feeling so weak, I could have prevented it from tumbling over the edge we were all standing too close to.

That didn't happen.

Like humpty dumpty, my bike fell off the figurative wall and into the pit, dragging me with it. For fifteen feet, every rock, twig, and piece of dirt blew up under my helmet as I skidded on my chest across the ground for the second time tonight. Teenagers screaming became more distant and car horns sounded miles away. The bike and I finally stopped at the bottom, but by the time I stood up and shook myself off, the boys were gone and everything was in full swing—the cops had arrived and were chasing people and cars out.

"_Fuck,"_ I cursed. I had little time to try and start up my bike, but after three tries, it wasn't happening. "Please, come on!" I wanted to cry out, and my frustration was coming out from the fear of getting caught. Everyone was already in their cars and away from the scene, but I was the fool waiting like jail bait.

And then I had to do what I didn't think I'd ever do…

I left the dirt-bike.

I didn't look over my shoulder as I moved with a deliberate hunch—like that would somehow hide the shadows of my figure in the moon—and dropped behind a massive wood pile with logs twenty feet long stacked twenty-five feet high. This was the area I planned to wait out the attack of the clones in the distance.

I leaned my back on the pile and threw my visor up to wipe my hair out of my eyes so I could have full vision. I was sweating to death underneath the leather jacket and thick hoodie, and the air going up through the holes in my pants stung the scraped skin, making me shake like it was below zero. I could see my breath. Maybe it was cold, I don't know. I could have been nervous, but I didn't feel threatened—I had baggage in the field, a man down, and I needed to save it before it turned into collateral.

_A plan._ I needed one. My position was dead in the center of the track, behind me a log pile, and in front of me, the walls of the pit fifty meters away. I didn't want to try escaping up the steep dirt walls of the pit—I wanted my dirt-bike and I wanted it _bad_.

I decided it would be safe enough to peep my head out from around the log pile. Ever so slowly, I inched my way out and expected to see flashing lights or cops in blue uniforms holding their wild dogs to come and bite off my arms. But what I saw I hadn't expected.

I saw nothing.

There wasn't a cop in sight. No vehicles. No people. No nothing—just the dark wilderness and my lonely little dirt-bike screaming at me to come and save it. It wasn't acting like Jack in titanic—_leave Rose, save yourself_—but instead, being selfish and crying. I couldn't judge—it sucks being left behind. Maybe that's why I always leave before that can happen to me.

Instead of risking my neck for a lime green—and lets face it— piece of shit dirt-bike, I decided to play it completely safe and investigate the situation a little further before I threw myself out into the open. Something in my gut told me to think it through—wait it out because the situation was too good to be true. My decision was to get to higher ground and get another peek.

Famous last move, of course.

I had only climbed two feet up onto a log before it shifted under my weight, and just as I reached up to get off it, the whole pile was shifting with it.

I jumped backwards from the pile and landed on my side before I found my feet to flee from the rolling logs. The noise was like crushing bones as each log jumped over the next, only missing me by an inch. The whole incident created enough of a commotion for my heart to run and hide in my stomach, but nothing compared to the fear I felt when a spotlight suddenly lit me up, and a voice came over a loud speaker.

"POLICE—FREEZE!" the speaker instructed.

It must have been opposite day, 'cause I was already running for cover.

The spotlight stayed with me like a bad rash, lighting up the fifty-meter sprint that I was wining gold in—too bad I choked crossing the finish line

While sirens blared and flashing lights mixed into the spotlight that was taking away the glow in my helmet, the steep fifteen foot walls of the pit kept me trapped. It was like hitting a brick wall—there was no footing and I couldn't do anything but slide through the dirt as I kept attempting and reattempting the climb.

Frantic, and covered in dirt, I took one final running attempt at the steep walls, but as hard as I threw myself at it, I still couldn't find a grip—

Oh but someone found it for me.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

I ran straight for the woods after fleeing from my car.

The police had showed up and I knew their routine—chase the teenagers out and then take in those that stayed behind. I probably should have left, but I knew there was one person who wasn't in a hurry to get out—

And there she was; while the scene was fleeing, Charlie's kid was picking herself up off the ground—in the pit.

Why she was back in the pit, I don't know. But I watched her try and pathetically start that piece of shit bike intending to intervene until she surprisingly gave up and ran to hide behind the most dangerous zone on the lot, the skull and crossbones on the back of her helmet ironically glowing.

Worse got worse when after five minutes of waiting for the coast to clear she decided to head for higher ground. Why she was stupid enough to think she should climb a loose log pile—again, I don't know. As soon as her foot hit the pile the logs were already moving, and in no time, she was on the ground and moving away from the shifting pile, dodging death by half an inch. She didn't even realize what the situation meant for her, and actually, she didn't look to concerned about anything—

Until the cops came out of hiding and lit her up like a Christmas tree.

I moved from the woods and hid behind a truck as soon as she from the police orders. She flew through the night as fast as she could, but with the spotlight watching her entire move, it would be impossible to hide.

Hiding wasn't her biggest issue apparently.

It was the final move of getting up out of the pit that put a speed bump in her getaway. The drop was too steep, and no matter how hard she threw herself up against the wall, she couldn't find her footing against the dirt, and down she would fall.

I wasn't going to let her be caught.

I flew to her help just as she began another attempt. Her body smashed into the dirt like a truck hitting a wall, but before she could fall back down to the ground, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her up over the ledge without concealing my strength.

There wasn't time for explanations. "Run!" I yelled, taking her gloved hand in mine and tugging her towards the woods before she could object.

She went with me, following behind me like a second shadow. She let me hold her hand tightly and lead the way as we sprinted into the forest, losing the spotlight, but not necessarily losing the cops. I could have run much faster and fled the scene if I wasn't holding onto her, but having her following into the darkness after me felt so fantastic—I'd do it every night.

"This way," I said, pulling her through the thick brush that barely allowed the moonlight to stream through. It was becoming difficult for her to move—probably from getting kicked around earlier in the evening—and her helmet wasn't helping her vision. I was worried I was going too quickly for her, but we couldn't slow down with the police so close. My only option was to continue clutching onto her hand in order to prevent her from falling behind, and hope the she could handle the rough terrain—apparently she couldn't.

The sudden drop in incline finally showed its affect on her.

Bella slipped on the forest floor, losing her footing, and then slammed into my back. I held tightly onto her hand, but when she fell, her feet tangled into mine, and then we were suddenly both on the ground and sliding down a steep drop of wet leaves and mud.

I heard Bella let out a gasp and the idea that I had thrown her into more harm caused me to react. I crushed her body into mine, acting as a hard outer shell while we plummeted through trees and scraping branches, until finally both our bodies fell off a drop, and we were airborne.

I released my hold on Bella as soon as I saw the water, scared I would cause her to panic beneath the surface if I clutched onto her, and then we separately dropped ten feet into a deep pond, the water immediately going over our heads.

The pond's water was dark and impossible to see in, but I found the surface of it before Bella did. I saw her helmet appear to the left of me, and then a ton of splashing in the water, where I immediately swam over to her.

"Edward—"

I already had her around the waist pulling her into my chest before she could sink back under the water. "I got you, I got you—you're fine." I quickly pulled off her helmet and chucked it away from the water. I thought Bella's panic had been from the helmet, but even with it gone, she wouldn't relax.

"Don't let go Edward—don't let me go." Her gloved hands dug into the back of my neck and her legs were wrapped tightly around my waist, crushing her body to mine.

"Bella you're fine, I won't let you go. Just hold onto me." I couldn't believe this was the same girl who had raced the motocross or talked back to Maksim. It was obvious—Bella was scared of water. Her chin dug into the top of my shoulder and her cheek kept brushing up against mine when she would panic and begin to try and climb my body. "Bella calm down—"

"Edward don't let go!"

"I'm not!" I yelled over her. If I were a human teenager, she would have drowned me by now—there was no way anyone could survive her death clutch.

The pond was only ten meters wide, so after a few more seconds of Bella acting like a crazy kid, I had managed to swim us to the edge, unlatch Bella arms from around me, and put her on solid ground.

"Jesus fucking hell," Bella cursed after pulling herself away from the pond and collapsing on her back. I sat across from her and looked over my shoulder at the drop we had fallen through. I felt a sense of relief in our position beneath the trees and bushes—there was no way of seeing us.

"Are you okay?" I asked, scooting over to her shivering body. I hadn't really noticed the cold water—maybe at this time of night it wouldn't be exactly warm. But she definitely had—her lips were blue like the dark circles beneath her eyes, and her arms kept shaking. "Take off a few layers," I said, taking her hand and pulling the glove off. I did the same with the other one before slipping them into my coat pockets.

"You don't know how to swim?" I asked. The look on her face made me instantly regret the question.

"So," she spat back.

"No—nothing. Just asking." I dropped it immediately.

"Where's my helmet?" she asked, sitting up onto her elbows. Water dripped from her hair and down her face. I was immediately reminded of the night Charlie and I had found her with Maksim. She had looked like a porcelain doll—now she looked like a pretty zombie.

"It's right here." I touched the helmet with my hand. She relaxed a little. "Let me help you up."

"My bike—it's still back there." She covered her face with her hands.

I pulled her hands free and stared down into her eyes. "Bella I swear I'll get it back for you—we just can't worry about it tonight. But _I promise_ you'll get it back. Let's just get out of this first, okay?"

She let me take her wrist with one hand and place my other one under her back and slowly help her to her feet. Her clothes stuck to her body and made her look even smaller than she was—I don't know how I had ever thought she was a guy. She definitely _did not_ have a guy's body…

"What are you looking at?" she asked, wiping some dirt off her face.

"Sorry." I cleared my throat. "I just don't know how I didn't recognize you tonight immediately."

She laughed a little before her teeth chattered. "I'm a _great_ actress. I play boy _very_ well."

I didn't know what to say. She had tricked me, but then again, maybe that's why I had singled her out of the group—unconsciously, I knew it was her. That just didn't explain why I wanted to hurt her.

"The clothes help to." She grabbed the helmet off the ground and began walking away from the pond. I followed behind. "Jacob thought of that—and painting the bike."

_Jacob_. Immediately, my stomach actually turned like I was human again. Was it jealousy? No. I wasn't _that_ threatened. He was just a human. _Like her_. Already I didn't like the guy. What the hell was wrong with me?

We walked a little longer, our bodies dripping with water, but only hers shivering. At one point Bella dropped her helmet, picked it up, and two minutes later, dropped it again. She insisted on holding onto it, but dropped it again, and then actually tripped onto her knees. I leaned over her with concern. I knew something was wrong.

"I can't feel my hands—and my heart is going a million miles a minute." Her voice was low and sounded like she had just walked up a flight of stairs. "I don't know what's wrong with me. The other night…"

I hovered awkwardly over her, knowing what she was going to say, but wanting to hear it from her. "What's wrong Bella?"

It took a few moments for her to register the question, and while she sat on the ground, I contemplated just throwing her over my shoulder and getting her out of the night—something was happening and I was afraid for her. But then she looked up at me with accusing eyes and said "I thought you left."

I blinked, truly lost now. She was losing it. "No I'm here—I've always been here Bella." I tried to help her stand, but she stayed kneeling on the ground, her eyes darting back and forth.

She then laughed like a pirate, deep in her throat, and then pushed me away from her. I didn't understand what was going on, but she was suddenly moving again, walking ahead of me before throwing her helmet at me. I caught it, and then she turned and said. "I meant from earlier—I thought you left and then you were there all the sudden."

I exhaled in relief and reached for her hand. She let me intertwine our fingers, and for a moment, I pretended we were holding hands just because we wanted to, not because we needed to. "I was going to leave until something prevented me from leaving."

She nodded, completely oblivious to the real shackles around my wrists that belonged to her. "The cops were smart tonight. They waited us out. I've never seen anything like it." Her voice was distant, like she was regretting something. Never had I wanted to know someone's thoughts so desperately.

"It was Charlie's idea. He always does things like that," I informed her.

She snapped her gaze to mine. I couldn't look away from her wide eyes. Her matted hair, muddy skin, and purple lips—she was beautiful and she didn't even realize it—gave me reason to stare in awe. I wanted to kill her for her ignorance of the beauty she possessed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tightening my hand around hers. Her skin was colder than mine.

"We keep bumping into each other and it's always has something to do with Charlie." She dropped her hand out of mine. "I'm always running from him and you're always in the background some how."

I didn't know what to say. It was true—our connection was through Charlie. I hated that. This girl was something I could live for, but she was living under Charlie's roof, and I was the bane of his existence. It wasn't a possible equation, and tonight's problems were proof of that. I never was a fan of math though.

"What the hell was with tonight?" she asked, stopping and holding the tops of her arms.

I shrugged. "I know I was an asshole—you just pissed me off and then I reacted and then you were _you_…"

"So you wouldn't have knocked me off my feet if you knew I was a girl?"

"Of course not! I would never do that—especially if I knew it was _you_."

She smirked. "That's a little sexist."

"I don't care—it's how it is."

"It is what it is?"

"Sure, I guess."

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes tracing over my face. I wanted to grab her and pull her close. It took everything in me not to. She sighed. "You promise you won't turn me in to Charlie?" she asked.

"Why would I do that?" I asked. It didn't make sense for me to tell him I had seen her—he would kill _me_, not her.

"Well you said you have issues with the cops—maybe a little decoy by throwing them onto my case could take the heat away from you. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time."

"I swear that's not it—"

"Relax," she said. I swear I heard her laugh. "I would do it too—if it were possible, which it's not." Her voice didn't sound like she even believed herself. Was she mocking me? God, she was irritating. I didn't understand how she could do that—a jab without a jab. She was killing me.

She dropped her arms to her sides and continued moving through the forest, ducking beneath tree branches and climbing over logs. Eventually we came to another incline and she let me hold onto her again while her feet kept slipping on the leaves and mud. At one point it felt like I was carrying her, and my arms were so tightly wound around her waist that it felt like our leather jackets were skin on skin. She seemed indifferent to our proximity while I was fighting for control over myself. I wanted to take advantage of her in every way possible, but at the same time, take her to a secluded area of the world and hide her from animals like me.

There was no winning when you were a vampire.

-x-

We found a path after awhile, which led to a back road. I jumped over the ditch and onto the dirt road and checked it out. In both directions, the coast was clear. "Come on." I held out my hand to Bella, signalling for her to come out of the woods. She came out and went to jump the ditch, but when her feet hit the ground, her knees buckled and I was catching her for the millionth time tonight.

"Okay what the hell is going on with you?" I asked with an accusing tone. I was angry for some reason—it was because I was afraid for her, she wasn't taking her situation seriously.

"That is the huge question, isn't it?" she said before chuckling with too much menace in it. She then leaned over and held onto her knees for support. I kept my hand on the small of her back. She then slowly straightened and found my gaze. "Honestly?" she asked, eyes wide, face serious.

I nodded.

"I have no clue…but it fucking scares me."

Then she passed out.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones **_

When I opened my eyes, I gasped, turned onto my stomach, and then rolled off an edge—

Hardwood came next, banging into my elbows and then my hipbones, and then left me motionless on its surface.

A door sung open next.

"Bella you're already awake."

So I was. "Apparently," I mumbled, looking down at my clothes. I was still wearing Leah's ugly pants, but my leather jacket was off and so was my hoodie. My damp top still hung on my body though. I looked up at Edward, where he still had on his own wet clothes. He stood in shock, staring at me like I showed up two hours early for the big dance. "Where the fuck am I?"

"My room." His tone was nonchalant and matter of fact. "I called my brother and he picked us up when you collapsed."

I chuckled, because that wasn't possible. It had only been two seconds ago that we were walking on the road. "What?" I stood up and he leaned on his doorway looking like he wanted to say something but didn't. Two massive windows around the clean room showed it was still night, but the white walls and lack of teenager memorabilia made me second guess this even being a room. In the corner of the room, red digital numbers glowed 4am. "Where the fuck is your bed?" I asked, looking behind me but only finding the couch I had fallen off of.

He hesitated. "I'm…getting a new mattress—it's on order."

I drummed my fingers on my elbows. This situation was ridiculous. It made me grin. "I can't believe you actually didn't take me back to Charlie's." I walked towards one of the huge windows and peered out before looking back at Edward. I barely knew him and I was in his house. It was creepy but I didn't feel threatened at all. I felt fine.

He stayed motionless against the frame. "I wanted to. You scared me out there." His face was emotionless, but the moonlight caught his distraught eyes. I couldn't blame him for panicking—it's what I felt the first night I had blacked out. Funny he was always there when it happened—at the school, in the bike park, and now tonight.

I moved towards him and leaned on the opposite side of the door frame. I needed an excuse. "I just haven't eaten in awhile—don't be scared for me. Sympathy is useless." He didn't need to be worrying about me. I was fine. _Fine enough_, anyway.

He chuckled humourlessly. "It's more than sympathy I think."

There was nothing to say to that. I was appreciative of his effort tonight—more than appreciative. Maybe thankful. "I would be in a cop car right now if it weren't for you."

He wouldn't look at me.

I continued. "No one's ever stuck around for me—I'm grateful, _believe me_—but you don't need to look out for me." I leaned off the doorframe and touched his arm. When he didn't respond, I went to move it away from him, but he suddenly gripped my wrist.

I flinched.

His eyes were dark, and his jaw was hard like stone. He stared through me like I wasn't even there. I felt the tension of his grip, recognizing the need, and understanding the thirst. It was right in front of me—

I leaned into his body and trailed my hands under his leather jacket and up his back, pressing my face into his chest while he pressed his face into the crook of my neck. His breathing became like my own—haggard and rough—and then I pulled away to see that his face was a better painted mask than my own.

His body language contradicted his appearance, of course.

He gripped my waist and leaned his forehead on my own, and with one little hesitation, and then another, he leaned all the way through and kissed me.

The kiss was three seconds long and then ended when he pulled away. But when he saw the look in my eyes, and when I saw the look in his, there was no way three seconds was long enough—and it wasn't.

He pushed me against the doorframe and crushed his lips onto mine, this kiss occurring quicker but not shorter. I pulled my hands out his jacket and wrapped one arm around his neck, the other clutching the neck of his t-shirt to keep him close to me. His mouth didn't leave mine while his hands moved up my shirt and across my skin—the feeling made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I pulled away when I couldn't breathe and he moved his nose to the crook of my neck and then trailed it up towards my jaw, inhaling to find his own breath.

A presence interrupted us. "Ahem."

His body flew off of mine and I quickly adjusted my shirt back down when my eyes revealed a visitor in the dark hallway.

A boy, maybe in his late teens, possibly early twenties, stood at the end of the hallway, leaning next to a window where the moonlight poured through, lighting up his light hair. He peered at us with an amused look, but the way his jaw remained tight and his arms remained crossed showed some discomfort.

"Is Emmett back?" Edward asked the boy before tucking me behind his body. I gripped the back of his jacket, not wanting him to leave, while he clutched my elbow with a grip that told me he didn't want me to leave either.

"Not yet—Carlisle should be back from picking up the girl's though. Might want to re-think this whole…" the boy hesitated. "Situation," he finished.

"Thanks for the concern Jasper. You can leave now."

Edward turned back to me, and when I looked over his should, the boy was already gone.

My being here was an issue. I had known it as soon as I woke up—I didn't want people seeing me here. "Edward I'm going to leave—"

"I don't want you to leave." He trailed his hands down my arms.

I let myself fall into his chest, where his arms encased me. "I don't like your dad," I said before laughing. "And I have to go back to Charlie's eventually."

I felt his body shake from holding back a laugh. "Well I don't like your dad either."

"He's not my dad. He's my foster person, remember?" I pulled away and looked up at him. He dropped his hands from around me and nodded.

"Of course I remember. I remember everything about you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," he said, reaching his hand in between us to trace my collar bone through my t-shirt.

"Then let me ask you this," I whispered, moving my lips to his ear. He immediately stopped breathing. "Where's my damn bike?"

He pulled away and chuckled, shaking his head. "It's being taken care of. I've got one of my brothers going to find it."

"Okay." I felt good about that. "Where's my jacket? Jacob will get in trouble if I lose it."

Edward's body immediately stiffened. The light, joking atmosphere went away. "Wouldn't want that, now would we?" he mumbled. He moved away from me and picked up my jacket and hoodie from behind the coach and handed them to me. "You don't have to put them on—I'll get you a hoodie from my closet."

"It's okay, it shouldn't be that far of a walk."

He stopped in front of his closet and pulled his hand through his hair before looking at me. "I'm not going to let you walk back to Charlie's."

I shrugged. "Well you're not _driving_ me."

"If you want to go back to Charlie's, yeah I am."

I threw the hoodie over my shoulder and tugged it back over my body. It felt awful to have to put it on again, but it made me feel more comfortable, strangely, to have something familiar near me.

"Bella don't put that on." He pulled a dark hoodie from his closet and threw it at me. "Just take it."

"No I don't like taking things from people—it's a rule of mine."

He looked dejected. "Sure it is. Where'd you get the money from tonight then?"

I stared at him in shock. Why was he doing this? But if he wanted to go there, we could go there. "I know what you're talking about—oh wait, you mean the money I got from Jake before you _jumped me_. He owed me, that's why I took it," I lied.

He nodded, mocking me. "Yeah that makes sense. Jake sounds like a great guy—know where was he tonight?"

"I'm leaving now," I moved towards the door.

He blocked my way. "I'm driving you though."

"Charlie hates you for some reason, and it's bad enough that I was out tonight, but imagine if he saw me pull in with _you_. I would never be allowed to leave the house again."

"Yes," he said sarcastically, "because that threat _obviously_ deters you—"

"Edward."

"Bella."

I stared at him and then threw my hands up. "Fine. You want me to wear your damn hoodie?" I threw mine off and chucked it at his feet, tugging his navy one over my shoulders. "There. Now I owe you—happy?"

"More than you'll ever know." He moved towards me and I backed up until glass was behind my back and his body was in front of mine, barely an inch between us. I glared at him, not allowing my mind to forget where I stood. "When you get that look on your face," he said, reaching out any touching my scrunched eyebrows before trailing his finger down to my hard jaw line, and then over to my pressed lips, "I can't take it."

I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away from me. He backed away, knowing it was a losing battle. "You can drive me home Edward."

"Good."

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Her knees wouldn't stop moving and her shoulders kept shaking.

It had nothing to do with her being cold.

"God this song," she yelled over the blaring music. It was so loud—but she still insisted on turning it up even more.

I tried watching the road but I couldn't help watching the way she shook her shoulders or banged her head to the beat—and her face…

She was content.

I told her there wouldn't be any heads sticking out of windows for this ride, but even with that taken away from her, I imagined her slouch was from comfort of speeding in the car, not from missing the wind in her hair. Her gaze never left the window, and every couple minutes she would rest her head on them seat, contemplating something, and then the song would take her away from it.

I turned down the music when I turned onto her street and slowed my speed, which immediately got her looking my way. "Charlie's probably home by now—I'll drop you off at the Larsen's lot so he won't see my car."

"What's the Larsen's lot?" she asked, confused.

"It's the abandoned house next door to Charlie's—it's where you found your dirt-bike."

The look on her face told me I had taken a misstep. "How did you know I found it there?"

I froze. I was an idiot—she couldn't know I had followed her that night. I hesitated. "Ahhh…" I wanted to shoot myself. I was so stupid. "There's a rumour going around that Maksim's dirt-bike was stolen by a girl." There probably was a rumour like that, but I hadn't heard it yet. It was all I could think of in the moment.

"What does Maksim have to do with anything?" Her face was a covered in that damn mask she liked to wear when she wanted people to back off. She had worn it the first night I saw her on Charlie's back deck. Even then I had seen through it.

I immediately began scraping the back of my mind for something. "Umm…I assumed it was you who stole his bike—and everyone knows Maksim's gang likes to hang out at that lot. I just put two and two together."

She shook her head. "That's the most random assumption I've ever heard."

"Doesn't mean it isn't true."

"Well I had no idea it was Maksim's when I stole it, so that should count for something."

I stopped the car in front of the Larsen's and turned off the headlights. I already knew Charlie was home—I just needed to be careful of being in sight. He'd ship her off to boarding school if he found out I was with her tonight. Or just get rid of her, since she wasn't exactly his in the first place.

"Thanks for the drive—I'll see you around," Bella said nonchalantly before getting out of the car and shutting the door behind her.

I panicked. "What about your helmet?" I said, reaching into the backseat to get it. I was willing to do anything to stall her—I wanted more time with her. There was no telling how angry Charlie was going to be with her tonight, which meant it could be days long before I would come across her again.

She leaned on the outside of the car and popped her head through the open window. "Hold onto it—I'll get it from you when I get my bike, like you promised." She smiled wickedly after, taunting me to hold onto my word. Keeping my word wasn't the issue; it was taking everything in me to stay in my driver seat and not follow her home. "I'll come to your house some time and get it from you as soon as Charlie looks away from me."

Even though every dead fibre in my body told me messing with her any more was wrong, there was that other half that conquered, and allowed me to nod. "Sure. It's probably at the house now."

"Good. I'll see you around."

She moved away from the car, and with one last look devious look over her shoulder, she walked into the darkness of the night.

For once, I didn't follow.

-x-


	19. NOT ALONE IN BEING ALONE

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 19: NOT ALONE IN BEING ALONE**

Edward had been very nice. _Too nice_.

I didn't trust the little bugger. What was with the whole dirt-bike thing? Why was he always around when I wanted him to be? Everything was too good with him. Of course, I liked the guy—there just wasn't a reason for him to like me without wanting something. He was mysterious, and I had plans to find out why.

Not tonight, of course.

After I got out of the car and said our little goodbyes, I pretended to walk towards Charlie's house along the side of the road. Edward did a three point turn behind me, squealing his tires just because he could, and then sped down the dark street.

I looked over my shoulder at his red tail lights, and when they were enough of a distance away, I quickly dipped off the road and back peddled to the Larsen's lot.

I wasn't going to _Charlie's_. Are you kidding me? Death wish.

Instead of waiting for the night to choke me to death by Charlie's presence, I decided why not be a little camper and go all out if I was going to be grounded. How much more trouble could I get in? Coming in at 4:30am might as well be after the sun comes up, which was my plan.

I wanted to be alone. That's why Edward needed to go. Sure, his car was to die for, and his driving skills were mad, but there was something to him that made me fall too quickly, and that meant I needed to take a step back. I wasn't used to guys looking at me, so instead of running away with the first one that approached me, I decided to go back to my old roots and be a loner. Instead of inviting him on my camping trip in the old Victorian home, I decided to have girl's night out—with myself.

And fuck, I couldn't feel any _more_ alone.

The house was still just as creepy as I remembered it, with vines shooting up the sides of the cracked windows, and unlucky number 13 cursed into the door. The moon was wide and full right above the broken chimney, casting the tree shadows all across the rotted roof and chipped brown wood paneling.

"Nice place to go knocking," I said to myself, even though it was quite the opposite. I was still afraid of the house, and I wasn't entirely sure of myself of actually entering into it. Maybe just standing in front of it would be enough.

It wasn't.

I walked towards the house very slowly, taking notice of the trash and empty bottles of beer spread across the lawn that showed others had been there. I could be brave like other squatters—sure. I mean, the door was already kicked in, so all I had to do was—

I paused.

A movement in the corner of my eye brought me to an abrupt stop, causing me to snap my head quickly in the direction of the woods. My eyes scanned the dark branches near the shed, where I swear I had seen something move, while my heart pumped blood faster through my veins. There was someone out there.

I took a step back, planning for new plans already. And then I saw what I never wanted to see again—_again_.

Glowing red eyes.

I inhaled and already had my body turned away running before the eyes disappeared. My clothes chaffed against my skin and my hair flew into my face, but I flew into the opposite woods, jumping over overturned logs and passing through branches like a wild animal. The last couple meters reminded me what I was running from, and I practically felt the bites on my heels—

I fell just as I came through out of the forest, landing on the edge of Charlie's property.

A movement came from around Charlie's police SUV—

"Ooohh, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," he said into a cell phone.

I immediately exhaled when I saw him. "Charlie."

It was him alright. He was dressed in dark colors—dark military style jacket, dark jeans, and dark work boots—and his badge attached to a chain around his neck gleamed in the moonlight.

I didn't realize I was still on the ground until I saw that he was looking down at me with a puzzled , distant look, the kind people got when they appraised a car or read the back of a book. He had a cell phone at his ear, mumbled something into it, and then closed it.

I swallowed and immediately found my feet, standing tall, even though the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Not from the look Charlie was giving me—from the look something else had.

"Charlie you won't believe what I just saw." I took a step towards him, but stopped when he looked up at the sky and put his hands in his pockets.

He disregarded what I had to say without even hearing it. "You're right about that, Bella Crossbones. I wouldn't trust you even if my life depended on it."

"Charlie just listen—"

"You listen!" he yelled, causing me to flinch. He was angry. "Where the hell have you been all day—and don't you dare think about lying to me because I swear to God—"

"With Jacob—the boy you saw me with in the truck. He's been showing me around."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Around where exactly? You've been gone for an entire day. An _entire day,_ Bella. I don't even know what to say to that."

I saw the disappointed look in his face. Well, it wasn't just disappointed. There definitely was frustration in there. And anger. _A lot_ of anger, actually. It was going to be hard to dance around the facts if he was going to be so upfront with wanting them. Since I was already doomed, and because I was afraid of what I was seeing, I gave in. _Again_.

"I was in La Push for awhile…and then I was at the forestry site—"

"I knew it!" he said, ripping his hands out of his pockets and turning his back on me. He barged towards the house, his shoulders slumped, his pace quick. I stupidly followed, trailing slowly behind him, keeping my eyes on the ground in case an idea jumped into my head to redeem my night. I didn't notice Charlie stopped until I bumped into his back. We were at the front door, and when he turned abruptly I quickly stepped away, holding up my hands to block anything thrown my way. It was just instinct.

He stared at me with a bit of shock and confusion, and when his eyes slowly closed and he covered his face with his hands, I dropped my hands to my sides. His eyes found mine again when he leaned his head against the door, his arms now crossed across his chest, his boots picking at the ground in discomfort.

"Why do you pull away like that?" he asked, eyeing the space between us.

I shrugged. "Can never be too careful." Wasn't that the truth.

He looked smug. _Unimpressed_. But still smug. "I want you to know something," he said. He turned his back to me and fumbled with something in his pocket. A second later, he unlocked the door, but before stepping into the house, he looked over his shoulder at me. "I can be as angry as I want with you—and I will be—but I respect you enough to never lay a hand on you. Do you understand?" The last question barely came out between his teeth. It sent a shot of fear down my spine. I don't know why.

"Okay." I looked at the door behind him to avoid his dark glare.

"Good." He opened the door all the way and moved out of the way, gesturing me to enter first.

I obliged, but just as I stepped up, his arm shot across the door.

"Give me a chance and I'll give you a chance Bella. If you can prove to me you're not the bad kid everyone pegs you out to be, I'll prove to you that you don't have a reason to run anymore. I promise. And if _you_ promise to start over fresh, I'll forget this night even happened. But if you slip up…I'll make sure you never forget it."

I looked away from the staircase and the cherry wood floors and rested my eyes on his. I didn't have any other options—and if I did, I wouldn't take them. I didn't see anything wrong with giving this a chance. Who knows…I might even surprise myself a little.

Charlie moved his arm and leaned against the door frame. "What do you say? You've got it good considering everything."

I stepped into the house, knowing the answer I was choosing. I headed towards the stairs, my ripped army pants sticking to my legs.

Charlie chuckled behind me, still leaning on the door. "Is that a yes?"

Internally, I groaned, but I had to make him believe me. "Sure is," I told him. _Sure fucking is…_

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

When I got back to the house, and opened the garage door, Rosalie's car was parked inside. I wanted to turn around and leave, but I knew I had to face them sometime, so I entered the house through the garage side door.

I was barely through the door before Rosalie was screaming at me.

"Why the hell did you bring her here Edward—"

"Don't you have a movie review to write or a mirror to stand in front of, Rose?" I asked, brushing past her accusing glare.

All the girls were back from their movie and Emmett had wasted no time informing them why the house smelled sweet.

"A human girl was in here—well, human enough," Emmett informed Esme when she walked into the commotion in the kitchen. Immediately her mind went to the forbidden fruit that is Charlie's kid, and of course, I groaned. "It was that girl Edward likes…" Emmett sang. "She was at the Motocross event tonight—and he brought her back to the house! I would never have had the guts to do that! What an _idiot_."

"I was against it, believe me. Imagine how shocked I was when he showed up at the door with the damn girl in his arms—I swear, I thought he killed her."

"Enough, _Jasper_." I grabbed the collar of his shirt, but before I could even rip a seam, Alice walked into the kitchen and cleared her throat. I moved away from him, but that didn't mean she was moving away from me. "Alice leave—"

"How did you even explain to her how she woke up in your bedroom! That's the creepiest thing you could have done."

I wanted to strangle her for putting me on the spot. In fact, I wanted to kill everyone in the room—I couldn't move without finding someone's eyes ripping into me. I moved around Alice and got to the fridge, pretending to look for something, but she stood behind me and tapped her foot.

I slammed the fridge. "She didn't want me to take her to Charlie's and this was the only other place I could think of. I told her Jasper picked us up—she couldn't know otherwise since she was passed out."

"Passed out?" Emmett came into the room after barging through the front door. He looked amused. His mind was filthy. "She probably thought she was date raped—"

He was pinned against the wall by the neck before he could finish, my own grip holding him there. _"She felt fine being here,"_ I hissed into his face. I pulled away and left the room before Carlisle could get his two scents in. Lucky for me, he just sat back and watched the scene unfold, knowing his accusing gaze said more than enough.

Emmett wasn't finished talking. "If I hadn't seen what she was capable of tonight, I would have just called your girl reckless, maybe even ignorant of danger."

I stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned and faced him. He leaned on the door frame, his face all knowing, while Alice watched my face in the background, curious.

"But since that's _not_ the case," Emmett continued, "because I know the face under the skull and crossbones helmet…" He paused and shrugged. "I'd say she's just suicidal. Makes sense, _eh Edward_?"

Alice jumped in front of me before I could shove him through a wall again. "Edward don't—he's just upset because he couldn't find her bike."

I immediately froze, my glare hardening on his, my voice low. "You what?"

"It wasn't where you said it'd be. It was gone. There was nothing in the pit—Nadda. Zip. Zilch."

I wanted to slam my fist into the wall—I had promised her the damn bike, and without it, I didn't have a reason to see her again or a reason to make her trust me. Bella would lose it when she found out I didn't have her prized possession.

"Let's be honest, the thing wasn't too hot anyway—"

"She was in front of you the majority of the race until…" Jasper trailed off. "Well, we know how that all ended."

My eyes watched Emmett's nervous reaction. He tried to avoid my gaze, until finally, his eyes lazily fell onto mine. "Oh yeah, let's talk about that _Emmett_. You nearly killed her—"

"Oh please, it was a fair hit and I didn't know she was a girl—not that I wouldn't have done it anyway—"

I lunged for Emmett but Jasper suddenly slammed into me and my shoulder blades were shoved into the floor boards.

"I'm kidding," Emmett said, laughing after. "God he's sensitive. You were the one who ordered the attack anyway—_stupid vampire_."

I stared up at the ceiling, and when I calmed down, Jasper finally let me go.

I left my family and went upstairs, slamming my door like a teenager, and finding the moon to stare out at, just like the good ol' days when one couldn't help it.

The moon didn't help the feelings ripping through my body—in fact, I think it made it worse. I just imagined Bella staring up at it too, feeling just as uncomfortable as me.

At least I wasn't alone in being alone.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

It was strange having my own bathroom off my room. It was clean and white, like the towels folded on a shelf above the toilet and hung beside the sink, the pristine bar of soap still unused to the left of the faucet.

And then there was me…I'd wreck the shower as soon as I got into it with the amount of mud covering my body—that's why I was hesitant. Instead of stripping and jumping into the shower, I stared at my appearance in the mirror, shocked at how seemingly different I looked—not just from the dirt covering my skin, but the actual bone structure of my face.

Under Edward's hoodie and Leah's pants, I felt like the same girl, but she wasn't staring back at me. Instead, a girl with a thin face and cheek bones sharper than a knife glared out at me with two massive black eyes—or were they just dark circles?

I leaned closer to the mirror to take a deeper look at my small lips and evil eyes, but when I stepped forward, my stomach suddenly growled. I hadn't heard that sound in days, nor had I felt the hunger pains—

I clutched my side as one ripped up through my ribs and into my throat. Another one violently followed, bringing with it the sound of the gurgling sea.

I had only been in my room for ten minutes, and instead of taking a shower like I had planned and then passing out somewhere from the pain flowing through my joints, my body was begging me for food. That's why I left the bathroom and then my room and headed downstairs.

I stopped just as my foot hit the cherry wood floors, the door right in front of me, only because I noticed a disturbance in what was supposed to be a pristine home.

The left wall of the entrance where a mirror had once reflected back the universe now barred a nasty hole through crumbling jip rock. I hadn't even noticed it when I came home before, but now, it was hard not to avoid. But before I could question it, Charlie appeared at the top of the stairs, startling me with his low voice.

"Someone broke in—I tackled him and then threw him against the wall."

My jaw dropped. "What the hell?" I couldn't believe it. The idea of people lurking around sent a chill through my spine. I couldn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to break into a police officer's home. No one with that knowledge would do that, which meant that case was a negligent, reckless outsider. _That _was scary. Immediately, I thought about the red eyes from the forest, and my heart rate picked up.

"I have a guy coming tomorrow to fix the wall and another crew coming to install a security system. There's no reason to be afraid," he said.

My stomach dropped at the threat of a security system. It meant that not only was Charlie keeping people out, but certain people _in_. So much for trusting me. I had never dealt with this type of technology—usually window locks were my biggest threat.

"You look nervous—were you just caught red handed or is your growling stomach leading you to the kitchen?"

My stomach wasn't _that_ loud. Not loud enough for others to notice it…well, at least I thought it wasn't. But apparently it was. Regardless, I answered his question by entering the kitchen and opening the fridge, the light bulb blinding me immediately.

I grabbed the orange juice container and closed the fridge before my eyes fell out of their sockets.

Charlie came behind me. "There's bread in the—"

"Bread box? I asked. "Imagine that."

He didn't say anything. Instead, he sat down on the bar stool at the island and watched me move clumsily around the kitchen, trying to make toast with butter, even though I wanted peanut butter—I just didn't want to ask him where he kept it.

I took my plate and drink over to the small kitchen table in front of the sliding doors and took a seat so that I could stare out into the night. I don't know why but immediately I felt the tug towards the outdoors, and my veins filled with adrenaline. It must have been the food, but I couldn't get my mind off jumping from the table and slamming myself through the glass and off the deck.

I was going nuts.

"Why are you sitting over there?" Charlie asked from across the room. "I'm not angry with you anymore—I just want to talk about why you're nearly covered in mud."

I took a huge swig of orange juice to slam the thoughts out of my head, and kept chugging until I was staring at the bottom of the glass.

"Eh Bella?"

I took a bite of toast and chose to avoid the second question by answering the first. "I like looking at the moon," I told him with my mouth full of dry bread. I took another bite and noticed his reaction—he looked to be concentrating on something I couldn't see. I ignored him and finished up eating. That didn't mean he was finished with me.

"What are your goals exactly?"

If I had food in my mouth, I would have choked. Instead, I laughed.

"I see. So I'm assuming you don't have any."

That wasn't entirely true. I had goals—turn eighteen, get out of here, maybe join the circus—they just weren't prestigious ones.

"You need to start taking care of yourself, and having goals can help you do that."

I shook my head and got out of the seat, moving towards the sliding doors when I couldn't take the tug anymore. Charlie shifted in his seat, expecting a quick departure on my part, but I just pressed my forehead on the glass and looked up at the glow that made the hairs on my arms stand up.

"I know how to take care of myself—I'm all I have, so I have to."

He disagreed. "For someone who claims to be alone, you sure don't act like it."

I cocked an eyebrow and looked over in his direction. Like me, he still had on the night's attire, his stupid badge glowing in mockery.

"Lonely people seek attention—it's what you've been doing all this time."

I shook my head. "You're getting it wrong, Charlie. Being lonely and being alone aren't the same. I'm only the latter, and people who are alone are just that—_people who are alone."_

"That's a matter of opinion—"

"No that's a damn fact."

"Watch it kid, you're treading in deep waters."

I chuckled at that. "I really doubt that," I said, enjoying a private joke at my expense.

"Why's that?"

"Oh nothing—I'm going upstairs." I moved towards the exit of the kitchen.

"Okay."

I thought I was scotch free until he said "Bella?"

I turned.

"Nice hoodie."

I hesitated, unsure at where he was going with this. "Thanks."

"Where'd you pick it up?"

"Salvation Army a few years ago." I lied.

"Yeah right."

"Why's that?"

"It doesn't look like anything you would wear."

"It's loose. It's warm. It's comfortable—yeah, totally something I wouldn't wear," I said sarcastically.

"Just saying."

I turned and left, and while I climbed the stairs with painful strides, I yelled down to him "Don't pretend you know me."

But even though I thought I dodged the bullet, when I closed my bedroom door and entered the bathroom, I felt the hit go straight up into my spine—

He was on to me. And if I wasn't more careful from now on, there was no telling how he'd react.

-x-

**Happy Easter**


	20. SEE YOU LATER

******Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 20: SEE YOU LATER**

_**Edward Cullen**_

"You actually stayed in all night."

I looked up from the newspaper. Jasper was sitting across from me on the kitchen island. He had on a grey t-shirt and pj bottoms, which was ridiculous.

"You're very observant." I folded a page of the paper over onto the weather section. Cloudy skies were in the forecast. I sighed in relief.

"Would this have anything to do with _Bella Crossbones_?"

I looked up. His face had a smirk on it. "Why do you say her name like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like it means something."

"Doesn't it? Besides your obvious infatuation…there is the other detail of her name."

I chuckled, playing it off. I gave up on the conversation. I pushed the stool out from under the island and got up.

"Just saying."

"Well don't. She's just a girl."

"Whose just a girl?" Emmett asked just as he crashed through the kitchen.

I groaned. This house was impossible to live under. "Nothing."

"Doesn't sound like _nothing_." He opened the fridge and closed it—he always did that in mornings. He never ate human food—well, human liquids—unless he had to for show. "What are the plans for today?"

I leaned on the kitchen counter and shrugged. "Whatever I feel like."

Emmett looked over his shoulder and grinned at Jasper. Jasper cocked his eyebrow at him. "What?" Jasper asked him.

"I say we have another brotherly outing since it was so successful last time," Emmett said. And even though he had on a mocking smile and devious eyes, I knew he was one hundred percent serious.

"Hell no," I said. "I've met my quota with hanging out with you Emmett—maybe next month."

"That's too bad," he said. "I guess Jasper and I will have to go out and find Bella's bike on our own."

I shrugged. "Yeah right." I could call his bluff any day—if he were bluffing, which he wasn't.

"I'm not going anywhere with you—I'm going shopping with Alice today," Jasper said quickly.

Emmett's entire body shifted lazily to so stare at Jasper dramatically. Jasper felt Emmett's mocking gaze, but he ignored it. Emmett had nothing left to do but look up at me and shake his head at his ridiculous brother before laughing. Jasper wasn't playing into it—he continued staring down at the newspaper, indifferent to Emmett.

Emmett slapped Jasper's back, getting a small noise out of him. "Jasper you have got to get a life—"

"Leave him alone, he can go where he wants," I said. I smiled when Emmett looked at me with an unimpressed gaze.

"You're just going to forget about her dirt-bike?" he asked, turning the tables to me again.

I gave him a weird look. "When did this subject become your problem exactly?"

He pulled out a seat next to Jasper and pulled the paper out from under his gaze. Jasper rolled his eyes. Emmett kept eye contact with me. "Hmmm, let's see—how about when I wasted my night looking for the bike that night out of the kindness of my heart".

"Yeah and you did such a good job at finding it."

"You suck at directions."

"We'll see when I find it today. I promised her a dirt-bike, and I'll be getting it back for her."

He laughed. "Yeah right. I'll find it before you do—and you know what, I might even return it to Bella myself just to see her reaction."

Jasper burst out laughing. I glared at Emmett. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Emmett tried to compose his face, but he couldn't help reveal his smirk. "What? I'm just trying to be a good citizen—a girl's bike was stolen and I intend to find it."

"She stole it from someone else."

"That's just a formality. What counts is the gesture."

"What makes you think you're even allowed near her? Charlie has forbidden me from seeing her. You're no different."

He waved me off with his hand. "Oh please, that man loves me. I'm adorable. He knows it. You on the other hand…I wouldn't let my daughter near you for a second—"

"I'm leaving." I moved towards the side door to the garage, but Emmett barged in front of me.

"Not if I leave first."

I shoved him out of my way and opened the door, but he pushed me from behind and I fell onto the cement floor lamely. Rosalie was just coming in.

She shook her head. "How graceful."

I got to my feet quickly, but before running to my car, I thought of an idea to slow Emmett down. "Emmett said he's going to ask out a girl," I told her quickly as I rounded the jeep and got into my own Volvo.

Through the window, I could see Rosalie peering at Emmett who was trying to get by her and into his Jeep without an explanation.

Emmett laughed it off. "I'm just bugging him—oh by the way, Edward was the one who backed into your car two years ago."

I quickly started the car and pretended I didn't notice her body slowly turning around and her eyes piercing through the windshield at me. I quickly backed out, but Emmett followed immediately behind me. When I backed out onto the road, Emmett backed his car in front of mine preventing me from driving forward.

I rolled my window down. "Mess off Emmett!"

He rolled down his window even though he could hear me perfectly clear. "I bet I can find that damn bike Edward! And if I do…" he hesitated.

I eyed him "Yeah?"

"Then I might just keep it for myself."

I laughed. "Right—now move your Jeep before I ram it."

"Like you rammed Rosalie's?"

I revved my engine.

"By the way, thanks for reminding me about our bet earlier—I still have my end to hold up. I don't really have a thing for brunettes but I'm willing to make an exception."

I smiled like a naïve kid until he left me staring at the back of his Jeep quickly disappearing into the distance. My eyes squinted and my fists curled around the steering wheel.

If he wanted a game, I'd show him one.

-x-

_**Charlie Swan**_

From 5am until the sun came up, I stayed downstairs in my office and stared at Bella's case file, studying the areas that didn't add up. While the early morning turned into late morning, Bella's room didn't have an ounce of quiet.

She wouldn't stop moving.

For four hours straight, every type of commotion came through the floor. But as long as I heard the noise, it meant she was there and that was enough to keep me in my seat at the computer.

Until it stopped after a silent thump.

I lifted my gaze from the screen and froze, waiting for a sign of life. Yet while the seconds ticked on, the only noise came from the refrigerator lightly humming in the kitchen.

I covered my face and sighed into it, pulling my hands through my hair until I felt my palms on the back of my neck.

I rose from my seat and moved out of the office and down the hallway. From the bottom of the stairs I listened again, and like before, no sound came from her room.

I was in earshot outside her door before a human blink of an eye, but just as I touched the doorknob to check her status, a quiet gasp from inside the room told me she was still inside.

Whether or not she was okay was another story.

I knocked. "Bella you can come down for breakfast," I said even though I hadn't made anything. It took a few seconds for a response.

"Thanks so much," she said from behind the door, quickly locking it after the sarcasm sunk in. I put my ear up against the door and listened to her panicked breathing and pacing steps around all corners of the room. Something was wrong.

"Bella is everything okay in there?" I asked like a father who cared. It made something in me feel a pain of guilt. I shook myself free from the feeling immediately.

"Why?" she asked. Her voice was distant. She was at the other side of the room.

I moved away from the door, concerned now. "Can I come in—I need to ask you something." She wasn't okay. Something was going on.

"Can't—I'm getting dressed." What a liar.

I curled my hand into a fist and knocked. "Come on—I don't believe you. Let me in."

The door quickly unlocked. She opened it a crack. Her eyes peered out at me. They glinted red for a second.

I flinched.

"What?" Her voice questioned my nervous gaze. She suspected something. She looked down at herself. Nothing abnormal popped out at her.

"Nothing. Just checking to see if you're okay. You've been making a lot of noise."

Her eyes darted up to mine. "I have?"

I stared in shock at her. "Yes…" Maybe she didn't know how thin the walls were. Or maybe I just wasn't used to having someone in the house. _Yes_, that could be it. She was human after all, and humans were clumsy. She was just especially clumsy. "It's okay. I'm just used to peace and quiet. Are you not sleeping?" Of course she wasn't sleeping.

"Actually no," she corrected me. "I slept like the dead."

I nodded like a gullible person because I didn't know how to react. She was lying to me. She didn't sleep—I had heard every thump and crash coming from her room for four hours straight. But even though I knew the truth, it didn't appear that she did. Her eyes peered at me, waiting for a response.

She was a good liar.

"That's good," I said, taking a step back.

"What did you want to ask me?" Her eyes accused me of not trusting her.

I hesitated. "Umm…" I began. "I was wondering…how you like your eggs in the morning?"

She smirked at me, and even though she didn't buy it, she still had a place to joke. "Same as I like them at night."

"And how's that?"

"Sunny side up."

"Sunny side up it is," I said before walking away. She closed her door before I got to the top of the stairs, and when I looked over my shoulder, I immediately let out a gush of air.

Life was going to get that much more difficult living with a transitioning vampire…

Unless I could help it.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Emmett didn't head back to the forestry site because he believed he had scoped out the area enough and the bike was no longer there.

_I_ on the other hand headed straight there, parking my car in the same spot I had only hours ago, and began my search on foot.

Like Emmett had said, the pit was clear. No bike laid on its side. No piece of it in sight. So after a quick sweep of the area, all I could do was leave.

I suspected a teenager had come by and swept it out from under us, that's why I looked in all the local hangouts. I checked the park, the public bike park, the school parking lot, the skate park, until finally, I was at the edge of town and only had actually forest to sweep through. And just as I was about to call it quits on public property and begin my illegal sweep of closed properties, a truck pulled up beside me in the parking lot of Ralph's Restaurant, a piece of green metal catching my attention.

It was the damn bike.

I rolled my window down and peered at the dirt-bike. There was no doubt about it; Bella's bike was sitting in the bed of the truck only one foot from me. Inside the truck, two boys argued back and forth. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, anxious on what to do. My options were limited as long as the boys stayed in the cab of the truck. I just couldn't believe I had already found the thing—today was going to be a good day.

The truck's passenger door opened. "Let's grab something to eat first," the teenage boy said before stepping down from the pickup and walking to the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. I recognized him after taking a quick glace at his face. It was the Mike kid—one of Maksim's loyal cult followers.

I shook my head in disbelief. He had found the bike before I had. _Lovely_.

His friend rolled down his window. "Maksim wants his bike now!" he yelled. "Get back in Mike!"

I kept my vision down and pretended to rummage through the change canister in my car, keeping it cool as always. I felt ridiculous, but their minds told me they hadn't even noticed me in the driver seat.

"It's fine," Mike told the other boy. "Maks isn't expecting it anytime soon. Relax."

The boy in the driver side yelled after him before Mike entered the diner, leaving him watching. I stared at the boy in the corner of my eye, and after three seconds, he cursed under his breath, ripped off his seat belt, and was following after Mike.

I smiled to myself.

Bella would have her bike back before lunch time.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I jolted forward with a gasp. I expected to be in my bed. I wasn't—the carpet was beneath me, hard as life.

Shocked, weirded out, and perhaps scared, my eyes scanned the room to find that everything was a mess.

_What the fuck_. I hadn't gone to bed on the floor because I wasn't at a fucking slumber party, but the mess looked like I had invited four girls over for a pillow fight. Maybe I had gone for a run in my dreams and done a few laps in my sleep—oh wait, I didn't have a history of sleep walking, because I _don't_ sleep.

I decided to keep it cool. Apparently I had made myself at home—or maybe it wasn't even me…

I immediately stood up and looked over my shoulder and then at the window, having the sudden feeling of someone watching me. What if those red eyes had followed me home? What if the demon was in the house?

What if I was being a fucking girl?

I looked over my shoulder at my bed, the only answer to the question of weather or not I had faked the whole shower and sleep thing. But no, the last thing I remembered was staring up at the ceiling and counting the stars that weren't there, and then blackness. The covers were dishevelled for proof—but then again, the damn room was dishevelled. My duffel bag was completely emptied out across the floor. My i-pod was flown across the room in front of the bathroom. Hangers covered the space in front of the closet. The desk was crooked like it had been moved around. My desk chair—was in the bathroom?

Bad got worse though when Charlie was suddenly outside my door, throwing me off guard. I panicked immediately—he couldn't see my room like this! He'd freak out, call me disrespectful and unappreciative, and then question how I had time to be such a slob.

Actually, accusations like that weren't what I was afraid of. It was him thinking there was something more to the mess—which of course there was. As long as I could hide it from him, I could hide it from myself. Then it wouldn't be real.

No, I wasn't going to let that happen, and that's why I pushed off his invite to breakfast and locked the door before he could invite himself in like a nosey neighbour. But there was no stopping him there, and he questioned my actions, and because I knew I couldn't avoid him, I opened the door a crack to show him I was alive and well.

When he saw me he reacted like I didn't have any clothes on or something. I immediately looked down and saw the same ratty plaid pjs and t-shirt I've always owned. But when I asked him what his problem was, his answer shocked me.

Apparently I had been making a lot of noise—and _that _scared me. I had no recollection of anything, but the room matched up with his accusation.

So I lied and said I had slept so well. Who knows? Maybe I had. But judging from the look on his face, he didn't believe it any more than I did. Behind me, I could feel my room laughing at me, daring me to throw open the door. I held onto the edge of the door with a drunk driver's white knuckled grip. I wasn't letting go.

Charlie decided to choke down my sweet attempt of a lie. He played along, asked how I liked my eggs in the morning, and since we were both playing roles that deserved Tony's, I told him the first thing that came to my mind. "Sunny side up," I said. I've always wanted to say that but I have no idea what sunny side up even is. Rainy side down sounds more like me.

But I closed the door after making dinner reservations, glad to have him away from me momentarily. I leaned my back against the wood, and stared at the mess in my room.

Not only did I have mental issues and something dark living in my room, but I also had dinner on the table, thanks to the hostess with the mostess.

My stomach growled.

Maybe that wasn't so bad.

-x-

"I'm starving."

Charlie looked up from the paper. He was already dressed for the day. I was still in my pjs and t-shirt. I didn't have socks on. I only owned two pairs of socks and they were both wet from my adventures.

"Good." He pointed over to the table where eggs, bacon, and toast were set out on several plates, buffet style. A jug of juice was placed in front of a plate and glass, ready to be poured. My fingers twitched. I felt like an addict. My tongue was dry and itchy.

I sat at the head of the table in view of the sliding glass doors, where outside told me good morning and to eat up because it was going to be one of _those_ days. I happily obliged because in that moment I felt like a ship wreck victim, struggling with obesity and living with type two diabetes.

I pulled all three plates towards me and started shovelling food into my stomach without even stopping to breath. I couldn't go fast enough—the taste was incredible and my hands shook in anticipation for the bite after the next bite. I began using both hands, shovelling bacon in my mouth with one hand and pushing toast up into my face with the other. With a full mouth, I took the jug of juice, ripped off the cap, and started throwing it back. I felt the juice drip down the edges of my mouth while I tried to drain the container—I choked when I felt it stream down my neck. Food flew from my mouth and landed across the table.

I froze.

With the jug still at my lips, I glanced sideways at Charlie. He was sitting like a statue at the island, his eyes stuck on mine, his face blank in shock.

I swallowed the half chewed food quickly and then dropped the half empty jug back onto the table. He shook his head in disbelief. I pulled the neck of my shirt up to my face and wiped away the crap I felt oozing everywhere.

"Are you serious right now?" His voice stayed at one level, his eyes leaving mine momentarily to assess the table. I had nearly eaten everything in two minutes. Just bits and pieces of food covered the table now.

I held in a smile. It was a funny moment. I shrugged. "What? I'm a growing girl—" he cut me off before I could make the joke.

"I know you're a teenager but this is just ridiculous." He stood up and moved towards the table. "You didn't even use a plate—that's not okay in this house."

"Yeah I did," I corrected him. "I used three plates." I waved my hand over each individual pate that I had eaten off of. Then I saw the plate I was supposed to put food on for my single serving. "Oh—you mean that plate?" I picked it up. "That's one less plate to wash. You're welcome."

"Excuse me?"

"Or we can look at this from an environmentalist perspective—that's saving water."

He took the plate from me. "Next time use the damn plate. Not only will it save you from looking like an animal, but it will teach you about serving sizes."

I pushed my chair out from the table. "What are you insinuating? I need to go on a diet?"

"Don't start Bella—"

"Sure, it's eat what you like but eat what you take—except don't eat a lot and don't even think about seconds."

He pointed at the table. "Well apparently you live in a world where seconds aren't allowed because you ate everything but the table. If I hadn't already eaten there would be nothing but chewed up food left to nibble on."

"That's actually a type of diet—"

"I don't care. Clean this up." He turned his back on me. Before he left the kitchen, he paused and said "By the way, I might be going into the office today. You need to be here because I'm expecting a guy to come and fix the wall." He looked over his shoulder at me. "Okay?"

"Okay what?"

"Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. I didn't have too many plans anyway. Maybe watching a hole being patched will trigger a response to patch up my own holes. It's the greatest metaphor if you think about it—"

"I'll be leaving around lunch time." He looked up at me. "I'm sure your large breakfast will hold you over until supper."

I chuckled. "Maybe, maybe not. I might just develop an eating disorder living under this roof."

"I think you already have. I've never seen someone eat so much."

"Wow. It's not hard to tell that you've never had a daughter."

Something I said made him flinch. Was it really that new to him? No. And I didn't care. But he did. After a blank gaze, he left the room, and I stared at the tile floor, wondering why I gave a damn.

I told myself I didn't.

Who knows. Maybe I did.

-x-

_**Charlie Swan**_

"Hi Jacob." I heard the boy's breathing immediately stop from the other end of the line. "It's Charlie. How are things?"

He cleared his throat and tried to pick himself up off the floor. _"Great—I met Bella. I'm sure she told you."_

"Actually she did—but she hasn't said a word about last night's little adventures."

"_Oh yeah."_ He didn't go any further.

"Like how you guys went dirt-biking in a closed site, or how you ran from police—"

"_We were actually just trying to leave—"_

"Oh yeah of course. That makes total sense."

He didn't say anything. He knew he was in a tight spot. I felt the walls closing in on him. I decided to give the little bugger a break. He was a good kid mostly, I just didn't like certain unnatural sides about him. I'm the one to judge, of course.

"Thing is, that's not why I'm calling."

"_It's not?"_ There was relief in his voice. _"What's up then?"_

I sighed. "Well," I began. "Bella doesn't know anyone. She's new in town. I was wondering if you would like to come over today and maybe just keep her company."

"_Umm, okay."_ His voice was weary. Hell, I was weary. I didn't exactly want anyone near Bella, but that didn't mean I wanted her alone either. At least if she had someone at home with her she wouldn't have a reason to go anywhere. _"Should I come over now?"_

"Sure. Just come on over. I'm heading into work for a bit—just don't leave the house okay?"

He chuckled. _"The whole hybrid/vampire thing is getting to you isn't it?"_

I didn't find it as humorous as him. "Not in the least bit. I actually prefer not to mention it. Maybe then it will go away."

"_Maybe."_ His voice had a dead zone to it. He was just humouring me. I didn't care. Not worth complaining about.

"I'll see you later on then maybe."

"_Okay. See yeah Charlie."_

"Oh one last thing Jake." I cleared my throat. "Leave your dirt-bike at home. I don't want to see Bella on one of those things any time soon, if you catch my drift." I took a break and then thought of a threat. "I don't want to have to tell your dad what you've been up to." It didn't work on him.

He chuckled. _"He already knows. He doesn't care. Nobody does."_

"The police do." He didn't laugh after that. "Bye Jake."

I hung up the phone.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

I parked the dirt-bike next to Emmett's Jeep and then closed the garage door.

Emmett jumped out of the jeep. "You suck, Edward."

I smiled and pointed at the dirt-bike. "Clearly."

"Where'd you find it?"

"Back of a teenager's truck," I told him while I circled the bike. I was beginning to form an appreciation for it. Maybe I was seeing what Bella sees in it. "They probably don't even know it's gone yet—I plucked it right out from under their noses."

"Excellent. And your car…?"

"Still in town. I had to leave it. I'll get Alice and Jasper to pick it up on their way back from shopping." I stopped and stared in awe at what I had accomplished. Bella was going to be happy. "I got it started but it died coming down the street."

Emmett laughed. "Way to go."

"What?"

"You broke that chick's bike—she's going to hate you."

"Excuse me? Chick? Broke? Hate me? No. You're being an asshole and you don't know what you're talking about. She broke it _before I_ even _got it_."

"Yeah okay. You just better know how to fix it."

I laughed. "Of course I do…"

Emmett smirked. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. And if I don't…"

"Rosalie can? Good luck asking her."

"I didn't say that—I wouldn't ask her. She's insane."

Emmett shoved me in the chest.

"Jesus, what's your problem—" I shoved him back, and before I knew it, we were tackling each other to the floor. It was ridiculous.

"Take it back," he said, throwing me into a choke hold.

"Take…what…back?" I said through his tight grip. I elbowed him in the gut—nothing happened. "Fine!"

He dropped his hold on me. "Fine what?"

"She's not insane."

"Thank you."

"She's just plain crazy—" I twisted away from him when he lunged. Instead of throwing me to the ground, his body landed on something else.

Bella's bike.

I cringed at the sound of the metal scarping against the cement. I stayed frozen on the spot, scared to look at the damage.

Emmett looked up at me. "My bad."

I covered my face with my hands.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

When Charlie left, I quickly ran up to my room and started organizing my things a bit better to hide that anything had gone wrong through the night. It only took about ten minutes, and actually, that's when I heard an engine outside.

I walked across my room and peered through the curtains of the window over my desk. Outside, a dark truck was parked where Charlie normally had his SUV.

I backed away from the window when a man with a ball cap, jeans, and a plaid shirt got out of the truck.

It was the worker Charlie had hired to fix the wall or put in the security system.

He didn't look like a guy to do either. There was no blue collar shirt, there was no tool belt. The only thing that resembled worker man was his boots, but they didn't appear to have any evidence of paint or hard work spilled over them.

He disappeared down the walkway.

I immediately pulled on my jeans, a white tank top, and a plaid shirt to match him. My feet were bare, and I'm pretty sure anyone could see my bra through the thin material. Maybe I did need new clothes after all.

The door bell rang.

I wrapped a hair elastic through my hair and placed the knot on the top of my head. I looked like a girl who talked on the phone all day, asked her parents for money they didn't have, and didn't know how to cross my legs. It was ridiculous.

The door bell rang again.

I chuckled. He was that kind of worker. _Impatient bastard_. Charlie probably hired an alien.

I carried myself down the stairs, taking my time to see if the guy had enough balls to start banging on the door. But there was no need because I opened the door soon enough, and there he was, staring at me with dark, beady eyes. Apparently he noticed the tank top too.

"Hi?" I leaned on the doorframe and peered under his cap at his face to take his attention away from wherever he was looking. He stared into my eyes soon enough, and then he wouldn't look away.

I cocked an eyebrow.

He cleared his throat and shook himself out of whatever he was going through. "Hello there," he said, "I'm Kenneth." He held out his hand. I looked down at it for a second, wanting to push it away just for spite, but ended up shaking it like a normal person. He held onto my hand tightly, not letting me end it. "And you are?" he asked, tilting his head to peer up at my face. His grip burned the coldness of his hand into mine—apparently he had just come from the North Pole or something. Forks gloomy weather must be a step up.

I stared at him without a single trace of friendliness. "Bella." My tone could easily have punched him in the gut and then kicked him in the—

"Bella _what_?" he asked. He stopped shaking my hand but that didn't mean he dropped his grip. In fact, he held my hand like I wasn't going anywhere until he finished the interrogation.

"_Crossbones_," I said with force, ripping my hand away from him. I looked at him with accusing eyes, and he knew I didn't like this at all.

"Just making sure I'm in the right place. _Crossbones residence_. Yup, that's where the job is."

A shock went up my spine. His first misstep and he hadn't even seen it. This wasn't right. He wasn't legit. How had Charlie even found this guy.

"You mean _Swan_—I didn't hire you. _Charlie Swan_ would have. He writes the cheques. Didn't you talk to him on the phone?"

He nodded his head. "Oh my mistake. Of course—yes, it was Charlie Swan. Swan residence. Yes."

I drummed my hand on the wall next to the doorframe. I didn't know what to do. If I had Charlie's cell number I'd call him—but hell, if Charlie was going to hire without looking into people's job history, this is what you get.

"Are you the guy for the wall or the security system?" I asked him. His truck didn't have a company name on it—_yup,_ Charlie hired a contractor without a contract. _Idiot_.

"Security system?" He looked over my shoulder at the house. I watched him closely, examining his face carefully in case I needed to tell Charlie the details of who tried to rob us. He looked to be twenty-five, his face matching his hard body. He had sharp features, and of course, those eyes were dark like the pit of my stomach. The questioning look across his face told me he wasn't an electrician even though some of his own wires seemed to be crossed.

"Oh you're here for the wall," I said. I stepped away from the door. He stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. I looked at him nervously. "Here it is," I said lamely. "You are the jip rock guy right?"

He straightened his back. "Sure am," he said, finally cracking his emotionless face into a smile. It didn't have an ounce of sincerity, of course.

"Okay." I stepped up onto the first step of the stairs, giving me some height, and held onto the banister for support. I still felt smaller than him. I don't know why I felt the need to square my shoulders and fake a sense of power. I pointed to the wall. "Well you do your thing."

He nodded, clearing his throat. "Thank you. I just need to make a few calls and take a few pictures."

I nodded even though that was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. I played along like a naïve girl he thought I was. "Oh yeah, great," I said with too much infliction in my voice. "I'll just be…around…the house."

He opened the door. "I'll call you if I need anything."

I chuckled. "_Lovely,_" I said to myself.

I swear I heard him mumble something.

-x-

I searched through every paper in Charlie's office, but there wasn't a business card or even a damn office number that I could get in contact with him.

I sat behind his desk and swivelled in the chair, knowing time was running out before all the silver and chinaware would be taken from the house. I needed to keep an eye on the worker while he worked to prevent the guy from getting any ideas.

I stared at the phone. I should probably just call 911 and ask if they've seen Charlie around. _That_ would be something.

I stood up from the chair and began to leave the room until I remembered the number I _did_ have. It was scribbled on a small piece of paper, in my right pocket, the weight suddenly noticeable.

I pulled the paper out of my pocket, and after staring at the small number, I looked over my shoulder at the phone sitting on Charlie's desk, weighing my options.

I didn't have any.

I picked up the phone and dialled the number. One ring barely went through before the voice on the other end picked up.

"_What!_" the voice on the other end barked into the phone. I didn't expect the harsh tone or anger. Did he always answer his phone like that? It was brave—especially since he didn't know someone like me could be on the other end of the line.

I didn't know what to say. I just started simply. "Hi," I said into the phone. "It's me—Bella."

There was silence on the other end.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Before I cold get upset with Emmett over scraping up Bella's bike even more, my phone vibrated in my back pocket.

I knew it was Alice—she had seen us fighting. I don't know why she cared.

I ripped the phone out of my pocket and flipped it open. "What!" I hissed into the phone, irritated by the call cutting into the moment. I didn't have time for bickering between siblings—I had Bella to think about.

"_Hi,"_ the voice said on the other end of the line. My heart sank into my stomach as soon as I realized the voice didn't belong to Alice. It was— _"It's me—Bella."_

I covered my face with my other hand, immediately regretting answering the phone like a fucking prick. I hesitated—she made me freeze up, my mind going blank. _She had called me_.

"_Are you still there?_" she asked, questioning my existence.

I turned my back to Emmett. "Yes—I'm sorry. I thought you were—"

"_Someone else?_" she finished for me.

"Yes." That sounded terrible. I didn't want anyone else calling me _but her_, yet it sounded like she was last on the list. "I thought it was my sister calling."

She laughed. God, I could make her laugh. _"You guys sound close."_

I smiled. _You're killing me_. "Sure." I grinned. Emmett came up behind me to bother me. I moved away. "What do you need?" I asked. I immediately regretted asking that. It insinuated her needing to be a damsel to call me. Why was I being such a moron?

Her voice hesitated. _"Well…" _She paused for a moment, the anticipation killing me. _"Charlie went out and didn't leave me a number to call him on in case something comes up."_

"Something came up?" I said quickly, moving towards my car. Emmett jumped in front of me, but I shoved him away. "Can I come over?"

"_Can you?"_ she asked hopefully.

She didn't ever have to ask. I was already on my way. "I'll be right there," I told her before hanging up.

Emmett eyed me. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, getting into his Jeep. He didn't object—he knew he owed me for having just nearly crumbled Bella's bike.

_Doesn't look like nothing_, he said in his head.

I glared at him. "I'll be back later."

He smiled. "Say hi to Bella for me."

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I sat on the stairs while Kenneth stared at the wall.

"What exactly are you looking at?" I asked him, just to throw him off.

He glanced over my way only for a second before turning his gaze back at the wall. He had no fucking clue what he was doing. He tried to reassure me of the opposite and failed. "Measure twice, cut once," he said lamely.

I nodded. "Oh yeah." I stood up and looked out the window beside the door. "And where are all your tools to measure with…and cut with?" I asked, turning back to him.

He lifted the camera from around his neck and took a picture of the wall. There was a large flash. I blinked. He finally turned to me. There was a flint of irritation in his eyes. I was getting under his skin. "I didn't bring them with me today—I'm just surveying the area first, making sure everything's in order."

"That explains the camera," I said, even though it didn't. He looked like a damn photographer instead of a worker.

I sat back down on the stairs. He looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. I shrugged. "Just bored."

"You shouldn't be."

"Why's that?"

He looked at me for a few seconds before he answered. "You're young." He went back to taking pictures of the wall. I watched, knowing that his answer wasn't the real answer. Where the hell was Edward?

There was a sound of a car pulling in outside.

"Excuse me," I said before exiting the house. I closed the door behind me, but when I looked up at the driveway, instead of seeing Edward's silver car, I saw Jake getting out of his truck. "Jacob what are you doing here?" I asked, surprised to see him. Actually, I was more than surprised—I was pissed at seeing him nonchalantly walking over to me, like he had forgotten last night's events.

"Charlie invited me over to hang out with you while he's out." He stopped in front of me and put his hands in his pockets. He was laidback as usual, ignorant of the problem in the house.

"Charlie did?" I crossed my arms when Jake's eyes lingered on my tank top. "You must not have told him you ditched me the other night in the middle of nowhere, or else he probably wouldn't have agreed to see you."

"Ditched you? I didn't ditch you." He looked like he actually believed it.

"Really? Then how was it that I was left alone?"

"I couldn't find you and the cops were coming—I assumed you have already left. I wasn't going to wait around—"

"No shit you didn't wait around," I yelled. "You got me in trouble with Charlie!"

He shook his head. "Then why did he call me over here—he doesn't care."

I disagreed. Something else was going on. Charlie just didn't trust me, and for some reason, he trusted Jacob enough to actually keep me in check. Was Charlie that unaware or did he see something I didn't?

I was about to ask Jacob to leave, but when I looked up at his face, he was looking over his shoulder at the truck, and then back at the house. His face no longer looked friendly. I could see the veins in his neck getting bigger.

"Jake—" He suddenly grabbed my wrist, catching me off guard. I tried to yank it away, but he pulled me towards the driveway. I didn't know what was going on. He had lost his mind.

"Jacob what the hell—"

"Who's in the house?" he asked quickly, still tugging me towards his truck.

I pulled against him. "Stop it, it's being taken care of!" I said, but he wouldn't let me go. He shoved me up against the passenger side of the truck, but I stayed pressed against the door to prevent him from opening it. "What are you doing Jacob? You're scaring me."

"Get in the truck Bella—"

"Fuck you," I said, pushing him away from me. "Tell me what's going on." How did he know something was off about the man in Charlie's house?

"I will once you're safe." He went to reach for my waist, but I slid around the truck to get away from him.

"You're crazy—"

My stomach was suddenly pressed up against the truck, his chest on my back, just as the front door of Charlie's house opened. Kenneth walked out.

I shoved Jacob away from me, but he held onto the loop of my jeans to keep me from getting away.

"Are you all done there Kenneth?" I yelled over the truck, pretending nothing unusual was happening.

He smiled and held up his camera. "Yup—got all the shots I needed. Just going to need your friend to back his truck out to get mine out of the way."

I turned and looked at Jake. "Move your truck."

"Get in first and I will."

I quickly ripped away from him, his grip on my jeans tearing the top of them. I moved in front of his truck, where Kenneth had a view of me, and where Jacob couldn't do anything stupid. I could practically feel Jake's glare.

"You heard him, Jake," I said, looking over my shoulder for only a second.

Even though he shook his head, he got into his truck and moved it down the driveway, just as another vehicle came speeding down the street. This whole moment was exactly what I didn't want to happen—Kenneth was getting scared off.

I quickly ran up the path towards him, my bare feet cold on the stone. Kenneth watched me cautiously, knowing I knew something. "Kenneth show me what the plan is so I can relay the message to Charlie," I said, pointing back to the house.

He stared at me, but gave in. "Okay."

Once inside, he tried to close the door, but I stuck my foot in the space, not allowing it to fully trap me. "So do you have a quote or what?"

"Yeah…it's going to be about…a couple hundred." He was unsure of himself now. His eyes kept tracing over me and the surroundings. He was extremely nervous. So was I.

"For one piece of jip rock?" It was only a conversation to slow him down, but I couldn't help making him uncomfortable. It was too easy.

"Well the calculations aren't exact…" he said lowly, taking a step away from the door when he heard Edward and Jacob arguing outside.

I cringed, knowing this was going to backfire. I sat down on the bottom of the stairs, trying to look relaxed, even though I felt quite the opposite.

I flinched when the door swung open even further.

It was Edward. He stared at me with anxious eyes, and when he saw Kenneth, he quickly planted himself in between us, leaning on the banister as a causal move. He was two inches away from me, and I knew better than to think it wasn't strategic.

"What's up Bella?" he asked, not even looking at me anymore. He stared Kenneth down, already knowing something was off. Outside, Jacob stood near the door, watching the scene play out. What did he and Jacob know that I didn't?

"Just getting a quote for the wall," I said.

"I should get going," Kenneth said. "Got to get these pictures to the boss." He held up the camera from around his neck, the lens pointed towards me. But just as he went to place it down, it snapped a picture, the flash sending black spots into my eyes.

"Jesus, watch it," I began, but Edward had already lunged for him, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him out of the house. Kenneth fell onto is knees, dropping his camera, but before he could swipe it back up, Jacob leaned down and picked it up.

"Get the hell out of here before I call the cops," Edward hissed, taking two slow intimidating steps towards him.

Kenneth looked weak compared to Edward, and I think he knew that. He shook his head, looked back at me, and then got to his feet.

"I'll see you around, Bella Crossbones," he said, his eyes catching mine and holding them.

I swear I heard Edward actually growl, but this time, it was Jacob who lunged for him. Kenneth reacted quicker and ran towards his truck. I yelled after Jacob.

"No Jacob!" I said, quickly standing up to chase after him. I only intended to follow Jake, but Edward grabbed my wrist just as I tried to move past him, and pulled me back next to him on the front step.

"He's already gone," he said.

"What?"

It was true. Jacob was standing on the stone pathway, motionless, staring into the woods.

"He ran? What about his truck?" I asked. I had known the contractor wasn't legit, I just didn't know to what extent. Obviously the boys did. "What's going on—who is he?"

Jacob looked hesitantly over at me, whereas Edward continued holding onto my wrist, actually tightening his hold. I looked down at my hand, and then he dropped it.

"Edward." I tried to get his attention, but he looked distraught, and unsure.

Jacob cut in. "He's a criminal—he's been on the news for raping and tormenting young women. I recognized the rusted black truck from the pictures on the telecasts."

Edward's head snapped up. I looked up at his face and caught the glare. He immediately wiped it from his face when he saw me looking at him. "What is that not true?" I asked him.

Edward stared at me for a few seconds and then nodded. His reluctance made me question the truth, but it was something too serious to lie about.

"Charlie hired a rapist to fix his house." I just needed to say it out loud.

"Rapist's need day jobs too, Bella. Charlie probably did it unknowingly," Jacob said.

"Probably?" I asked. "Jake—" I cut myself off when a large white truck with a covered bed drove into the driveway.

Edward immediately stepped down onto the pathway, cautious.

"Oh it's probably just the security guy—he was coming today too."

Jacob chuckled. "Sure," he said. "If _Jim's Jip rock_ is a security company's name, then yup, it's definitely him."

I froze. Sure enough, across the truck's side, a logo with the words _Jim's Jip Rock_ was printed.

I stared in shock.

"Call Charlie," Edward said, coming back to stand next to me.

I stared at the truck, lost in thought.

"Bella."

"I don't know his number…" I said, my voice trailing into the distance. All I could think about was Kenneth, his eyes, and his goodbye that was slowly turning into a promise.

_I'll see you later, Bella Crossbones._ His voice echoed in my mind. _I'll see you later._

-x-


	21. MODEL CITIZEN

**Disclaimer: **_Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just playing with them._

**Chapter 21: MODEL CITIZEN**

_**Edward Cullen**_

I gave Charlie's cell number to Jacob because I wasn't going to be the guy to let him know his kid was in danger. That information was deadly enough, and for it to be delivered by the vampire that wasn't allowed near his property would give the man a stroke. So while Jacob delivered the bomb, I stayed with Bella. _Sure,_ I was worried about Charlie catching me near her, but I was _more_ worried about what would happen if I disappeared.

A nomad vampire was one thing…a nomad vampire in a chief of police's home …that was a whole other level.

While I waited impatiently for Charlie to hear the news and rush home, I sat with Bella in the kitchen and listened to her hands drum nervously on the sides of her stool. So far she was holding up pretty well over the news that a criminal—ridiculous spur of the moment idea thanks to her Jacob friend—had pretended to be hired by Charlie. In fact, after the shock of the _actual_ jip rock truck arriving, and then the security guy following ten minutes later, she had turned off any fear and left the world with her blank stare and deadened eyes.

Of course, if she knew what had _really_ gone on I'm sure she'd show a little more concern on her blank face. She'd never know though—that was the goal, anyway.

"Bella?" Jacob asked behind us.

She looked up quickly when she heard the kid's voice. I didn't look over my shoulder at him, and instead, watched the reaction he brought out of her. Bella's eyebrows rose and then her mouth played into a hard line.

I smiled, satisfied with the response.

"I called Charlie—he's on his way here."

"Lovely." Her voice was sarcastic. She got off her stool and walked lazily towards the kitchen table. Her shoulders were hunched, and her neck hung her head towards her left shoulder as she picked up what looked like the remains of a meal. After balancing a few items on her arms and palms of her hands, she moved back to the island and chucked it all into the sink.

I actually flinched.

She looked up at me for only a second, and when she did, her eyes flashed red for a second, the dark circles caving in her face. Her appearance wasn't human. It was a defence mode for vampires—strong and unemotional. Or maybe I was mistaken; Bella was a human who saw past the bullshit and had been exposed to darkness at an early age. How else was a beaten foster kid supposed to look at life? Either way, I still had concern for her.

"You okay?" I asked her.

Her stupid friend jumped in. "She's alive isn't she."

She smirked. "For now." There was something sinister about her voice. I couldn't put a finger on it. I could only watch her move across the room and stand in front of the glass doors, where she stared into the dull day with equally dull eyes. Something in me stirred when she placed her forehead on the glass and closed her eyes. I recognized the sense of hopelessness in her body posture. I knew what she was going through, and instead of bringing her out of her moment, I turned on the elephant in the room.

I looked over my shoulder at the wolf boy. He was leaning in the threshold of the kitchen and hallway. I cleared my throat to grab his attention. "Why are you here—Jacob is it?" I knew his name. I was just being _that_ guy.

His eyes swiped over me and then away, where he planted them on Bella. I wanted to step in front of her and block his view but I didn't. He had a stupid look on his face. Then I saw it in his mind before he said it, making me look away.

"Charlie invited me over to keep her company." I looked up at him to see that his cocky voice matched his cocky face. Why Charlie trusted a werewolf over a vampire was beyond me. He was one ill-informed son-of-a-bitch.

I wanted to spit on the floor near Jacob Black's feet or shut a door in his face—anything to make him know the loathing I felt for him. But he continued to stare at Bella, and while he did, I listened to his thoughts.

_She's going to lose it…don't let her leave…Charlie will be mad_—

"So why did he invite you over?"

I snapped my gaze over in Bella's direction when her voice rang through my bones. She now had her back pressed against the glass, her head back, and her gaze cut across the room in my direction.

I looked at Jacob. He looked defensive. "If you want me to leave I will."

I raised my eyebrows, surprised by his bluntness. Bella had the same reaction.

"Calm down _guy_, I'm just wondering why you're in my house." Her tone was different—hard and indifferent. She reached behind her shoulder and with one swift movement, she had the doors sliding and she fell through it. She closed the door behind her.

"Nice going." I stood up off the stool, intending to follow after her. The werewolf's sudden movement caught me off guard—he headed for the sliding doors.

I stepped in front of him. "Where do you think you're going?"

He glared at me. "Charlie asked me to keep an eye on here. The better question is why _you're_ here." He pointed at me with a finger, and I waited for him to touch me. He didn't. Lucky bugger.

"Bella called me. She _needed_ me." His face looked dejected. I smiled at that.

"She called you? How did she know he was—"

"_Instinct_," I told him. Like Charlie, Jacob didn't know what he was dealing with when it came to hybrids, and more specifically, _this _hybrid. "And _her_ instinct told her to call _me_. Not _you_, not _Charlie_—"

"She didn't know Charlie's number."

"Well she knows 911." I moved away from him. He stayed in his place. "Look I'm just saying. Charlie may think you're capable of handling things, but in reality, you're just making things worse."

He chuckled, not believing me. "You're just jealous that she likes me."

I crossed my arms and faked a smile, pretending to be humoured. In all honesty, I wanted to strangle him. _Jealous._ As if. I decided to give him the cold hard facts.

"She doesn't like _you, _Jacob Black. She likes what you give her."

He rolled his eyes but his mind began to rethink his stance and second guess his outlook on the way she looked at him. It felt good to see him nervous now.

"What do you know about hybrids?" I asked, already knowing his answer.

"They're transitioning vampires. A little bit of human, a little bit of vampire." He gave his answer with confidence. He didn't see that it was lacking.

"Sure, that's the _just_ of it. But what makes hybrids uniquely dangerous to themselves _and others_ is that no one can ever know _how much_ is human and _how much_ is vampire."

Jacob shrugged. "Sure. That _is_ an issue, but it's an obvious one."

"Obvious enough for you to forget, and then that's when Bella will do something drastic." I took a few steps back. "Hybrids are like wild children. They thrive on adventure. They're losing their adrenaline, and in order to maintain it, they become thrill seekers, thus keeping it on extremely high levels. The highest level of adrenaline hybrids will have is right before their transition—and if they act on it, and are pushed over the edge…they become what I am."

Jacob had sincerely listened, but that didn't mean he understood what he heard. He was pig headed and childish, and only interested in making Charlie proud of him and getting a girl to look his way, _even_ if she happened to be a hybrid. So stupid.

"Maybe that's true—"

"It is true," I said, correcting him. "_Look_ at her. She likes dirt-bikes and motocross for Christ sake—what girl have you ever met that likes those things! Her need for fast pace races isn't just a hobby—it's in her _blood_ to act that way. It happened to me and it will happen to any other transitioning vampire."

"Well I don't see how I have anything to do with this. If she's seeking these adrenaline pumping activities, she'll find them regardless if I'm around or not. I just happen to have the same interests as her, where as you…yeah...not so much"

I rolled my eyes. The guy was a pompous a-hole. "You're not getting it."

"Oh I think I am."

"You're not." I glared at him. "What's a vampire's biggest enemy?"

He glared at me.

"Exactly. And once she becomes more in tune with her vampire side—which can be any day now—she'll become more aware of what's around…and more specifically…_who's_ around her. Do you really think being what you are, and being what she is, that trying to make friends is plausible?"

He shrugged. "I'm acting under the same beliefs that Charlie is—which is that she can be saved."

"This isn't a Catholic system—"

"You know what I mean," he hissed. "She doesn't have to live a _doomed_ life." I ignored the jab. It didn't hurt. "And after hearing what you just said, my understanding is that she could possibly be functioning with little vampire in her blood at this moment. It could be her human side that is acting out—because hell, she _is_ only human, and humans are capable of just as much fuck ups as your kind."

"She isn't _only_ human, you moron—" Sirens in the distance, coming down the road, stopped me. It took only a few seconds before they were in the driveway, and Charlie's voice was giving instructions to the crew that followed him.

"Charlie's here."

"You think?" I asked, mocking the kid.

"Yeah I don't know why Charlie doesn't want you around her," he said, the sarcasm putting a mocking smile on his face.

I wanted to grab him by the throat and toss him outside, but workers were in the next room, and Charlie was—

"Bella!" Charlie's voice boomed through the house. I moved past Jacob, brushing my shoulder against his with a little force. Charlie stood in the entrance of the house, two men behind him, their guns at their hips, Charlie's in his right hand. The worker fixing the drywall stared with wide eyes, nervous. Charlie's eyes immediately found mine. They had so much rage. "Cullen? Where is she—"

"She's out on the deck," Jacob said. He walked cautiously around me and leaned on the banister. "I came here just like you said and not even five minutes later, _he_ showed up." Jacob's eyes lazily glared over at me.

I shook my head. "That doesn't matter—"

"And where's the guy?" Charlie's voice was getting more frustrated as the seconds ticked on. He obviously felt what I felt—that Bella's safety was seemingly out of our control.

"He fled." Jacob pointed out the door. "That's his truck out there."

Charlie turned to the men behind them, and after telling them to set a perimeter and call in some dogs, he shoved through and headed into the kitchen. I followed behind him, the dog on my tail.

Charlie opened the sliding door and walked out onto the deck. I would have followed him if he hadn't stopped and then turned to glare at me.

The look on his face told me something was wrong. "What? Is she—"

"_Gone_?" he hissed. "Yeah. _Imagine that_." He slammed the door shut behind him and left the kitchen, calling more cops over his walkie. His thoughts were all over the place, but like me, he hoped that Bella was just being Bella, and that something else hadn't happened.

Jacob chuckled. "Good going."

I didn't stay to listen. I exited the house the same way Bella did and jumped off the deck, landing on the balls of my feet before chasing her sent down into the backyard. Her scent became stronger quicker than I could have thought as I traced it along the paths, and finally to the last place anyone would expect someone who couldn't swim to be.

"Bella are you okay?"

She was sitting on the top railing on the balcony deck that hung over the water. Her feet dangled while her arms held her back straight, keeping her in place. When she looked over her shoulder, her body swayed, causing me to skip a few stairs before I was only five feet from her. I didn't get any closer. I wasn't stupid.

"They find him?" she asked, looking away and out into the dark water. In the distance, fog was slowly rolling in, taking the afternoon away.

"I don't know—I doubt it. Charlie just got here."

She brought her right leg around the railing, allowing her to sit like she was riding a saddle. "Thanks for coming over. That was nice of you." I tried to say something—anything—but my voice was caught in my throat. She looked at me with confusion. "What?" she asked.

I exhaled. "You're making me nervous—aren't you nervous doing that?" I moved a bit closer to her until we were in arms reach. I didn't touch her though, even though I wanted to grab her and pull her away from the fall.

"I'm not afraid of heights anymore. I used to be, but I realized recently that it doesn't really bother me. I'm just testing out my limits—not even a watery grave below me can shake my knees."

I shook my head. "That's why I don't understand you. You're putting yourself in harms way on purpose." I knew why though. She couldn't help it. It was in her genes to do it. Her body knew the danger, and in return, it threw her into it.

She shook her head. She then went to bring her other foot around the railing, but I touched her arm before she could move.

"Here." I held out my hand to her. I relaxed when she took it. I helped her down, taking most of her weight. I didn't realize my hands were around her waist until she pulled away from me. I cleared my throat. "Charlie's looking for you. He thinks you ran off again."

She chuckled. "Or worse…maybe I'm in someone's trunk right now, duck taped and ready to be—"

"Maybe you should let him know you're okay," I cut in. I _had_ to cut in. She was making my hands curl into fists—the thought of anything happening to her did that to me now. I didn't want to imagine anyone hurting her. It killed me knowing how much danger she had actually been in today. She on the other hand really had no idea except for the lie we had told her.

"Maybe he can see for himself."

"What?" I turned around when I saw her eyes looking at something over my shoulder. When I did, Charlie was walking down the stairs, his gun back in his hip, another cop behind him in full uniform.

"What's going on, Charlie?" she asked nonchalantly. But as much as she was trying to fake a sense of relaxation, I saw through it. Her hands were shoved into her pockets and her bare feet wouldn't keep still.

"Thanks for staying in the house Bella," Charlie said, his tone threatening. "It makes it so must easier on an investigation when we have to go looking for the victims."

"I don't see any victims here—Kenneth was a nice guy."

I put my hands in my leather jacket, copying her stance. I didn't know what to do when I read Charlie's thoughts. He was either going to lock her in the house and never let her out again or send her away and never look back.

"Just kidding." She held up her hands. "Tough crowd," she mumbled.

Charlie pointed up at the house. "Can we just go inside and figure things out. We need a statement from you."

I cocked my head to the side. "A statement?" I said, laughing after. I couldn't help it. It was ridiculous. This wasn't a real investigation—it didn't need to be. We knew what was going on. Sort of.

"We'll need one from you too," the cop behind Charlie said before giving me the eye. "Just to make sure all the stories add up." In front of him, Charlie gave me a look, and then his mind was telling me to _just go with it for Bella's sake._

I sighed. "Fine."

Bella chuckled. "So our stories add up? What do you think we have to hide? '_Yeah he was a photographer and this house was just his muse'. _Give me a break."

"Would you just shut your mouth and get up to the house. This is a serious matter. A criminal broke into my house—and _you _were inside. Do you have _any_ idea what could have happened today. _Any idea_?" His voice was loud and threatening, but had a tone of frustration that shook _me_ more than Bella. "I just want you to be safe. You don't understand the people I put away that want to get back at me. They're sadistic creeps that would love someone like you to—"

"I think she gets it Charlie." I touched Bella's arm. "Just go."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She followed the cop up the stairs, but Charlie stayed behind. She looked over her shoulder at me, but I shook my head at her, telling her not to worry. After she left, Charlie turned and looked at me.

"Look she called me and I didn't know what else to do," I began. "And then when I got here it was obvious that he—"

"Edward it's fine."

I stared at him, shocked.

He continued. "It's fine," he said again. "I believe you." His face was serious. "And Jacob told me everything."

I rolled my eyes. I should have seen that one coming. "Oh the werewolf already filled you in. There you have it." I went to move past him, but he touched my shoulder.

"Just hold on a second," he said, taking his hand away.

I stopped and watched him walk towards the balcony that Bella had dangled herself from. He leaned on the rail and looked at me. "Tonight woke me up from my denial…" he hesitated. "Maybe I can't protect her from herself…but I want to be able to protect her from who she is…her lineage…the Crossbones…"

"We've known that all along—well I have. I told you."

"I know. I just assumed…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. Today is proof that they're watching her, waiting for her to change. They'll want her."

Something inside me snapped. "_Want_ her? Like take her? You can't know that. You're her foster parent—legally they couldn't."

He chuckled. "I think that's just a formality. People don't go by the books. You know that." He moved away from the rail. "I don't know. I've been researching the family name, trying to dig. There's not much I know. Carlisle would be a better person to talk to. Maybe we could have a meeting together some time, talk things through, and decide what we're going to do."

I nodded. "I'll tell him that."

"Good." His face looked relieved. Maybe even thankful.

"Bella will be fine." I don't know who I was trying to convince. Myself or him. Either way, I didn't believe it, and he didn't either.

He played along though. "I hope so." He was about to say something, but hesitated. "I think…" he stopped himself. "Maybe if…she had a friend in this looking out for her…"

"I can keep an eye on her Charlie. I swear I won't let anything happen to her."

He held up his hands. "Now take it down a level," he said. "She just needs someone on her side."

"No I understand. I think a friend would be great for her." _Friend_. The word killed me. But I'd take anything over nothing. I still couldn't believe he was allowing me near his kid.

"Now I don't want to be seeing you around her all the time. I still don't think you're exactly what she needs—"

"Give me a break Charlie. I'm exactly what she needs."

His glare cut into my skin.

I back pedaled. "But I see what you're saying. I understand. I'll try and back off, but if she wants me around I can't really do anything—"

"Cullen you're pushing it."

"Okay. I get it."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just don't want anything like today ever happening again."

"Neither do I. But we don't exactly know what to expect in the future. There could be more check ups on her. This is just the beginning. It might get worse."

Charlie nodded. "Well the security guy is installing the system. Maybe that can give me a piece of mind."

"Doesn't give me any."

"It's something." He turned his back to me. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder at me. "No funny stuff, Cullen. The moment I find out you're getting too deep into this, and your presence becomes detrimental to Bella, I'm cutting the cord."

"It won't go there." I played the visions that Alice had seen of Bella and I in my head, knowing exactly what he meant by _too deep_.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

"Where'd you go?"

Jacob was still in the kitchen. A couple cops stood on the outside of the room. Some were plain closed like Charlie, some weren't. I ignored them as they watched me cross the room and take a seat next to him on the island.

"I needed some air," I told him. "Down by the lake."

"How'd you get down there?

"I climbed down the trellis."

His eyes looked shocked. "Really?"

"Really." I drummed my hands on the countertop. "Who can I give my statement to?" I asked, glaring at the men.

One of them, plain clothed, came forward and sat across from me. He had a buzz cut and was quite large. He took out a notepad and pencil and then stared up at me. "What exactly happened today?" he asked. "From the beginning if you can."

I told him what I knew, and Jacob added in the things I forgot—like how Kenneth was wearing a dark cap and had left behind a camera—and then I stood up to leave.

"I suggest you stay put Miss Swan," one of the cops said.

I laughed and looked at Jacob. "Did you hear that? _Miss Swan_. Doesn't roll off the tongue too nicely does it?" I walked out of the room and headed for the staircase. A man was still fixing the wall. He looked foreign and probably didn't know English. I said hi to him. He nodded and went back to looking at his work.

The front door opened before I had a foot on the stairs.

"Ahh Bella," Charlie said. "Did you give your statement?" Edward walked in behind him. I was shocked he was still alive. Charlie didn't kill him. My stomach felt light.

"Yup." I stared at Edward. He stared at me. Charlie left us and entered the kitchen. I leaned on the banister. "You're still here."

He smiled. "Charlie and I had a talk. He's giving me a chance."

I smiled. "A chance at what?"

He shrugged. "Who knows."

It sounded out of character for Charlie. I had only lived with him for a few days, but I knew that he never changed his rules and didn't take down his fences. Something was off.

"That's weird—he must be freaked out about this guy sneaking around."

"I guess he has bigger things to worry about."

_Isn't that the truth._ "Sure."

"Are you okay?"

I looked at the floor. Kenneth's camera was there. "I wish you would stop asking me that. Nothing happened." I leaned down and picked up the camera. I flipped it around and looked at the screen.

"I just don't want you to think you're in this alone—

"_JESUS—_" I dropped the camera as soon as I saw the image. It slammed down onto the hardwood, the sound making me flinch.

"What is it?" Edward asked quickly, his tone panicked like mine. He stared at me with heat behind his eyes.

"There's pictures of…" I couldn't finish.

He picked up the camera and began to look at the screen. I watched his reaction. His face was hard and unreadable at first.

Charlie moved out of the kitchen. "What's going on?" he yelled, having heard the crash. He came into the entrance way and looked at us with confusion. "What is it?" he asked again with more force.

I looked up at him with panicked eyes and then at Edward, whose hands were white knuckling the camera. He looked up at me after flipping through several of the pictures, his face now angry. He was scared—for me, of course.

Charlie clued in and grabbed the camera from Edward. While Charlie flipped through the pictures, Edward's eyes stayed on me. I stared at the floor, my mind traveling in circles, rethinking previous nights. _Where_ I had been. _What_ I had been doing. _Who_ could have been watching…

"Hank," Charlie called out to the officer. The big guy entered the room. "We've got problems."

I chuckled nervously. It was all I knew how to do. It scared me. "Yeah," I said. "If you call stalker pictures _a problem_, then sure."

Charlie looked at me with unimpressed eyes. "Bella it's going to be okay."

I laughed. I didn't find anything funny though. "Oh yeah? Well that's easy for you to say. You're not the model in those pictures. _I am_."

Before Edward, Charlie, or even Hank for that matter could say anything further, I backed away from them and moved up the stairs like a zombie, one arm holding onto the wall in case my legs decided to lose my knees.

I shut my door before anyone could enter, and unlike the movies, I collapsed into my computer chair instead of my bed, immediately leaning back and staring up at the white ceiling.

It would be a great picture—oh wait, it probably already was.

-x-


	22. WHERE WILL YOU BE?

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**Chapter 22: WHERE WILL YOU BE?**

_**Edward Cullen**_

"This is getting bad, Charlie. There's pictures of her."

"Yeah I noticed that, Edward. I can't really do anything about that _right now_."

The situation was hard to talk about with five cops running around and a werewolf over my shoulder. Charlie was thinking the same thing. There really couldn't be time for reactions because there were official police routines that needed to be followed in order to avoid suspicion. The investigation was something completely different when we factored in the vampire element. Of course, that would be left out of police records.

Today was the reality check Charlie needed to see what being a hybrid, and more importantly, what being a Crossbones meant for Bella. Hell, even _I _was having a hard time swallowing the facts—_there had been a nomad vampire in the house alone with Bella._ She was lucky he hadn't tried anything—well, anything _out of the ordinary_, like telling her who she _really_ was.

So far Bella was avoiding the entire mess. She was in her bedroom, keeping herself away, while I paced in the entrance way, nervous as hell. I didn't think anything like this would happen—well, I _hoped_ nothing like this would happen.

Here's to hoping, right? _Pssh._

"I think you boys should get out of here—Jake thanks for coming over. I appreciate it," Charlie said over his shoulder. He was still busy trying to clean up the scene with the cops.

I shook my head at Charlie's blatant disregard for my existence and his stupid puppy love for his lover boy _Jake_. I would never get along with the kid. I didn't like Jacob even a little. In fact, his face made my hands automatically turn into fists. _Yes_, I wanted to punch the guy for no reason. It made me angry that Charlie seemed to forgot how dangerous the werewolf was and just throw his little hybrid kid into the pit with him.

Well, they say ignorance is bliss…Charlie must be having the time of his life. Must be nice…

"Can I say goodbye to Bella—I don't want her thinking I forgot about her."

I laughed at Jacob's suggestion. It was pathetic. "I think she'll get over it."

Charlie shook his head. "No. Let's just leave her alone for now." An officer cut in and handed Charlie a report. I glared at Jake. He glared back. He wasn't done.

"I'll be two seconds Charlie, I just want to let her know—"

"Fine. You have _two seconds_." He turned his back on us and started talking with the officer about the camera and about Kenneth's truck. I would have stayed to hear more details, but when Jacob started up the stairs, I darted after him.

There was no way he was going to be in Bella's room alone with her.

That spot was reserved _for me_.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I swivelled in my computer chair for awhile. A little twirling couldn't hurt anyone. It didn't hurt me—it helped me think.

_About stuff_…like the picture of me crashing my dirt-bike…oh and the one of me sitting on the dock…and of course, a picture of me in the Larsen's lot, probably the night I had seen…

Shivers ran down my spine.

A knock on my door jarred me from my nightmare. I blinked, tuning back in.

"Go away Charlie," I yelled over my shoulder.

"It's me." The voice wasn't Charlie's. "Edward," he said.

I swivelled my chair away from the desk to face the door.

"I'm here too—can we come in?" Jacob asked hopefully. What a kid.

I let out a gush of air. "I don't care."

The door opened. The two boys stared at me slouched in my chair, my legs planted firmly on the ground, even though it felt like they weren't.

"Are you coming in or not?" I spun the chair back facing the desk and opened the laptop. I called it _the_ laptop because I didn't really consider it mine—nothing was really mine in the room unless it had holes and patches on it.

"You're room is _badass_, Bella!" Jacob exclaimed, stepping onto the carpet. I heard him over near my closet, no doubt looking at the bindings hanging from the wall. I wasn't even a snow boarder, really, but I knew it looked cool.

I looked over my shoulder at him. "It's not really my room—I'm just a house guest." He glanced over at me and chose to ignore my comment—the back wall behind the bed caught his attention. He immediately jumped onto the bed and started examining the hanging forest picture with wide eyes.

"_Oh sure_, make yourself at home," I told Jake. "I hear everyone's doing it." I wasn't sure if anyone got what I was inferring. I looked to Edward to see if he had—he looked lost like me. He was standing against my dresser, looking around the room without paying too much attention to anything. He seemed to be mapping out the place—hell, I had no right to judge. I didn't feel that comfortable here either.

Well, not anymore.

"I'd kill for this picture, Bella." Jacob had his face pressed two inches from the wall, staring in awe.

I tilted the chair, leaning as far back as I could in it. My hands fell onto my stomach, where my fingers laced into each other. I was a business man—this was my office. "What's so great about it?" I asked him. "It's just a picture." Then again, a picture says a thousand words—I had learned that the hard way today. My own photographer had captured me in vulnerable states, my own red eyes telling me I had somehow missed a flash, even though I knew I couldn't have.

"_Just_ a picture," Jake mocked my voice. He shook his head in disbelief. "This shows all of the bike trails and parks in _Forks_! I don't even know _the half_ of these."

I cocked an eyebrow at this information. It wasn't something I was aware of. I thought it was just a generic aerial shot—interesting enough, but not _Forks_. I looked to Edward for confirmation—his straight forward eyes and hard jaw told me the truth. I perked up. "Say again?" I stood up and quickly jumped up onto the bed, creaking the mattress like it was a hundred years old instead of brand new.

Jacob grabbed my arm and pulled me close to the wall. He trailed his hand along the dirt paths I hadn't thought too much about, and began whispering information. "These don't even have access from the outside," he said lowly, stopping his finger at a dead end path. "In order to find it, you have to _get a little_ _lost_."

The hairs on the back of my neck rose. I felt like we were pirates examining a treasure map without permission. But it was in my room—_yes_ it's now my room now—and that meant I couldn't be doing anything wrong.

Footsteps coming up the stairs put wide eyes on all of our faces.

I shoved Jacob away from me and jumped from the bed in a hurry, while Edward stayed poised with his lean on the other side of the room. I fell back into my chair without a problem. Charlie came into the room with an irritated look on his face, planting it on my slouched form. I tried to look nonchalant. I don't think he was falling for it.

I didn't understand Charlie's face turning into a glare—that is, until I followed it to Jake. Jacob was still on my bed, sitting on the center of the mattress like a Valley Girl with too many secrets. I knew what Charlie was thinking. I pretended I didn't notice and raised my eyebrows at the over-concerned parent—sorry, _person_.

"What's up?" I asked.

Edward shifted his posture and glanced my way before staring at the back wall over my bed. He seemed to have a smirk on his face that he was trying to hide. Had I said something—

"Jacob Black, I will give you five seconds to get off that damn bed, _or so help me_, I swear to God you'll never walk straight again." Charlie's voice sliced into the air and caused every muscle in my neck to tense up. Jacob immediately flipped off the bed and scrambled to his feet. I wouldn't have moved for all the money in the world. I didn't like empty threats.

I rolled my eyes. "Charlie don't be a di—" I cut myself off. He raised his eyebrows. I found a new path. "I mean…we're just chilling." _Chilling._ Shoot me in the face. In response, Edward bit his lower lip. My heart rate picked up. Then I realized _the_ Cullen kid, son of the a-hole doctor, was in_ my room_. I began to lose my train of thought. It was nuts how little we knew about each other, yet we had already seen the walls of each others room. What was next? Sharing clothes?—oh, let's cross that one off the list. I stared up at Charlie, hesitation in my eyes. "We're just going over our…" I couldn't think of a technical term for investigations and police work. "Verdicts," I finished. _Yup, just going over our verdicts._ I needed to watch more CSI shows.

Charlie ignored my lame attempt at explaining the boys in the room—but hell, he had to have known they were even up here in the first place. They didn't walk around on thin air. He turned his glare down a little and crossed his arms, looking in my direction. His face looked tired and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. I wondered if he ever got sleep living in the same house as me. Probably not. Hell, _I _didn't get sleep living in the same house as _me_.

"I said you guys could come up here and say goodbye—not move in. You're killing me." Charlie looked at Edward and shook his head. _That_ offended me. Edward hadn't done anything wrong. He was already assuming who the problem was. So much for giving me a chance on doing good. I'd show him…

"Charlie these boys wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole, so lets just end this lame '_stay away from my daughter_' routine because _one_, you're not my father, and _two_, this room couldn't get anymore platonic." My heart skipped a beat on the last notion. I felt Edward's eyes scanning me. I couldn't look at him because I knew my facial reaction would contradict my argument. I wouldn't let that happen.

"Maybe, maybe not, but this is _my house_. I run this ship in old school waters, and that means no boys in bedrooms."

"I agree one hundred percent Charlie," Jacob said, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to check up on her—like you said we could—and then I was going to leave."

"Really? You sure looked like you were leaving," he said sarcastically. "If I had given you another ten minutes, I would have come up here to you in your jammies leading the slumber party with truth or dare."

I let out a gush of air. It was that or laugh—but I didn't want to give Charlie the satisfaction. Instead, I just watched the ship sink. And boy, did it ever start going down. Eat your heart out, Titanic.

"I don't do jammies—I sleep in the buff." And that was Jacob's director's cut of Titanic 2, straight to DVD.

"Oh wow." I covered my face, afraid to look at Charlie. My head spun in regret. I don't know why they wouldn't just leave now. The room was so crowded.

"Edward, grab your friend before I do," Charlie said sternly. I peeked out behind my fingers. Charlie was staring at Edward, his glare cutting Jacob again.

Edward shook his head. "I think I'll take a rain check on that one," he said, straightening away from the dresser. Before leaving the room, he looked my way for half a second and then exited. Jacob scrambled after him.

I dropped my hands.

"That will be the last time I find those boys under this part of the roof. You hear me?" He pulled his hand away from his face. I stared at the badge dangling from the chain around his neck. I swear he just wore it to remind me where he stood. It didn't intimidate me—I could make something like that and model it like nobody's business.

"Okay. I get it."

"You don't know how boys think. They'll take any chance they can get to—"

"I said I get it."

He nodded. "Okay." He held up his hands. "I just want you to be safe."

"Maybe you should worry about the pictures on the camera and not a few harmless kids—besides, _you_ invited Jacob over. Not me."

"Well I didn't invite Edward over—"

"No, _I did_. And you already scared him away."

"Trust me, I've been trying to scare that kid away all my life—I couldn't scare him even if I wanted to."

"Oh yeah? All your life? Well he's not here anymore so maybe you got your wish. Now he probably thinks I'm an idiot."

"I doubt that, but that would be the answer to my prayers."

"You pray for idiocy in me—fantastic. That will be something to write down on the report."

His amused smile disappeared. "Report?"

I stared in disbelief at him. "You don't know about the report." It wasn't a question. The look on his face—pure confusion—told me this was the first time. "Wow. For a cop you're really not that thorough—"

"I'm a police officer—"

"_Fine._ You're a police officer that will be getting a surprise visit from social workers. And when they talk to you, they also talk to me. Everything gets written down that I tell them. _Everything._"

He shrugged. "Bella if you're going to blackmail me, you might want to have something on me first."

"Who says I don't? I've never been in this type of situation before."

"And what type of situation is this exactly?"

"Well so far it's one that includes stalkers and being grounded 24/7."

"You wouldn't be grounded so much if you just listened to me. We're supposed to be getting off on a better foot. Remember our deal?"

"And what about the stalkers? Is that my fault too?"

He sighed. His eyes found the ground. "Of course not."

"Then what is it?"

He shrugged. "Unfortunately, you're right—you are in a situation where I have enemies. I've put away a lot of people. Some of them get out. You shouldn't have to feel trapped in a house. You shouldn't feel scared. And for that, I am sorry."

Immediately, I felt the regret kick me in the stomach. I had picked a fight, won it, and now made someone who was trying to help me feel like he was more of a detriment than protector. I was an asshole by nature, apparently, but for some stupid reason, I didn't apologize or even let him know that this household was twenty-times better than anything I had ever experienced.

I'm just _that_ type of person. Things go unsaid with me. All I can do is hope I don't kick myself later.

Charlie left my room before I could even consider taking away the guilt I felt. He even closed the door. I was now left in my computer chair. Alone.

I spun back around and faced my desk. In front of me, the curtains in the window were opened a crack. I could see Jacob and Edward outside. They were watching the officers tow Kenneth's truck. They also happened to be arguing.

I decided right then and there that I didn't have to be in my room or that I didn't have to be sitting in my computer chair or that I didn't have to be alone. There were two people outside that wanted to know me, and for once in my life, I had a chance to do something about it.

I leaned over the desk and banged on the window. Both boys' heads turned up to look at me.

I waved, flashing both of them a smirk.

Jake immediately waved back, scrunching his face into a silly half grin, whereas Edward peered at me with dark eyes, a look that studied my motives and questioned my intentions.

I leaned farther over the desk and tried to lift the window. It took a few pushes before it slid up. I stuck my head out. "Guys just wait up a second!" I yelled down to them. The noise from Kenneth's truck being lifted onto the platform on the tow truck made it difficult to yell over. I moved away from my window and left my room, finding the stairs and then the front door. I was in front of them in no time. I stared at Edward with hopeful eyes.

"What are you guys doing tonight—I don't want to sit at home and think. I want to do something."

Edward shifted his footing but it was Jacob who spoke up first. "Sorry. It's Sunday night—clan meeting with my relatives and friends. It's a La Push thing."

My shoulders slumped. I had no idea what he was talking about but I didn't care enough to ask. I felt like a fool for thinking I was the only one without a life. "Oh. Okay." I looked over at Edward. "What are you doing tonight? We should hang out." I had never done anything like this before—reaching out to others was not me. But I _wanted_ it to be normal for me.

"Ummm…" Edward hesitated and then looked to the right of him where Jake watched me. Edward cut his eyes a couple times between Jake and me, and then stared with anxious eyes. What was he trying to tell me?

"So you can't?" I asked lamely.

Edward shrugged. "Sorry. I have a family thing." His voice was nonchalant and hadn't tried to drop me off carefully—it shocked me. But instead of flipping him off or turning my back, I watched his face, where I realized he was watching me _too_ carefully. His eyes stayed on mine, his jaw hard, a small smile on the side of his mouth. His eyes flashed over to Jacob again and then back on me. He winked at me.

My heart jumped when I realized what was going on. I played along. "Oh okay."

"I'm sure I'll be over sometime this week," Jacob said. I snapped my eyes away from Edward and nodded at Jake. "And besides, you promised me you'd come to my birthday."

Edward's eyes burned into the side of my face. I agreed anyway. "Yup. I'll see you around."

"Bye Jacob," Edward said coldly.

Jacob wouldn't move. "Aren't you leaving too, Edward?"

"That's none of your concern, _pup_."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. Something was off. Edward didn't like Jacob, and I wanted to know why. From what I could tell, Jake was friendly—maybe a little childish—but nice enough. Maybe _that's_ why. Miserable people tended to hate happy people. I'd hate Jake too if I didn't depend on him for dirt-bike—

_My dirt-bike._

Something deep in my stomach shocked me awake. I had forgotten about that damn pain in my side.

"Bye Jacob," Edward repeated. Again, I noticed the tone. This time I didn't care—I had bigger subjects to worry about. I needed to talk to Edward, and if he wanted Jacob out of the scene, _so did I_.

Jacob got the clue. He walked down the driveway and back to his truck, leaving Edward and I alone with the officers by the tow truck.

"Come on," Edward said, taking my hand and taking us away from the crime scene. He took me around the side of the house, and down into the backyard, where he pulled me underneath the tall deck for some privacy. To the left, the bottom of the trellis covered in vines waved at me, reminding me of how useful it had become.

I stared up at Edward's face. He finally looked like himself. He wasn't closed off, and wasn't indifferent. He looked just like he did the other night—happy to be near me. Now without an audience, I could be happy to see him too. "You don't like Jacob, _do you_?" I said, dropping his hand.

"Jacob Black isn't my kind of person, let's just say. He's a suck up—he'd tell Charlie anything just to get points with him."

Strangely, I saw what he meant. Maybe the kid was a suck up, but he was nice to me, and that was all that mattered. And right now, all that mattered was finding someone to hang out with. If Jacob wasn't available, I wasn't going to cry. "So you're not busy tonight, I'm guessing. 'cause you did promise me a _dirt-bike_…"

Edward grinned. "It's in my garage this very second waiting for you."

My eyes widened. "Are you serious—why didn't you tell me!" I wanted to jump up and hug him. I didn't though.

He looked over his shoulder and then back at me. He was nervous. I knew why—Charlie could be lurking, and Edward wasn't his favourite person. "Like I said, I don't trust Jacob. If he knew I had the bike, let alone that you had been at my house…"

"Yeah he's just looking out for me." I wasn't really defending him. I just felt like I owed him. I just wanted everyone to get along. Jake didn't have to be on the outskirts. Maybe Edward would see him in a better light if he got to know him. "Well I want to see my bike—I'm coming over tonight."

Edward took in a jagged breath. "I don't know—God don't get me wrong, I want you to more than anything. But Charlie…he would skin me alive."

I shook my head. "He's doesn't even know you." The fact that Charlie already made arrangements with the kids I could play with on the playground pissed me off. It made me _want_ to go out and show him up.

Edward chuckled. "He knows me enough—he's picked me up a few times. That's enough for him to place some judgement."

"Well I promised Charlie I'd be on good behaviour. Especially now since…well…you know everything." I looked up at him. His eyes were a brilliant green. They held onto me too tightly that my stomach felt constricted. "This whole thing is ridiculous. That's why I just want to forget about it. Do something different. Just get out."

He nodded. "I'm glad you called me today."

"I'm glad I did too. Who else would have thrown the guy out of Charlie's house?" I smiled after. He did too, but it only lasted a second. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right."

He sighed. "Fine." He looked over his shoulder again. "I'm just thinking about maybe pulling a fast one on Charlie."

I smiled. "Oh yeah?"

"He'll be working until early tonight. How about I pick you up later on?"

"How will you know when he leaves? That will be hard to time. Maybe I should just walk over when he leaves."

Edward shook his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Fine. I'll call you when he leaves."

Edward nodded. "Perfect. Then I'll pick you up and I'll show you what's going on with your dirt-bike."

"Is it looking good?"

Edward didn't answer right away.

"Oh god, what happened to it?"

"Well…" He pulled his fingers through his hair, deliberating how he was going to tell me. "My brothers couldn't find it the night you left it there, but I found it this morning."

"Okay. What's wrong with that?"

"I found it in the back of some teenager's truck—and I swiped it back when he was looking the other way."

I covered my mouth. That was the craziest thing anyone had ever done—for me.

He nodded. "Yup so I stole a stolen bike, _all for you_." Edward touched my sleeve. "I can't get it started though. My brother's working on it."

I shrugged. "That's to be expected—it's a piece of shit. That's why Jacob was helping me with it. He has a huge workshop full of parts. It was awesome."

Edward didn't seem impressed.

"Come on, don't be such a girl." I punched him in the shoulder.

He touched his arm like I had dome damage, pretending to be hurt. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me—you're jealous. I don't know why, but you are."

"You're being ridiculous. I just don't think he's someone you should be around. He's a bad influence—he nearly got you killed the other night."

I laughed. "_I'm_ being ridiculous? I think you are. I was the one who begged Jacob to take me to the race. I was the one who fucked up on the jumps. I was the one who ran from the cops—"

"And I was the one who got you out." He smirked like a bloody idiot after, basking in his cocky attitude.

I stopped and stared at him. He stared at me. I smiled. "Yeah."

His eyes were incredibly green. _Dark._ But green. "Charlie will be looking for you. He probably thinks you ran off again."

"Nah. I'm saving my running legs for tonight."

He shook his head. "God this is so stupid. _We're_ so stupid."

"Who cares. I know I don't. I want to see my bike. No hurt there."

He sighed. "Let's hope nothing happens. I promised Charlie I wasn't going to hang around you too much. I don't want him knowing that I might have been lying."

His words made something in the bottom of my stomach itch. "Well I might have made him some promises too. But promises aren't really that special too me."

Edward shrugged. "Maybe I'll change your mind about that."

"About what?"

"Making promises."

"How so."

"I promised you your bike, didn't I? And you'll be getting it tonight."

I smiled. "Tonight it is."

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

"It's running."

I exhaled, thankful I'd have a bike for Bella. "Seriously?"

"You're welcome," Emmett said with a stupid smirk. "Saved your ass."

"Thank you," I told him, even though it killed me to do so.

"So what now?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Is she coming to get it or are you holding it for her?"

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it Emmett." I walked out of the garage. He followed behind. In the kitchen, Alice and Jasper sat at the island, their eyes on me. "What?" I asked.

Alice smiled. "You invited her over here. That was nice of you. Cute too."

I glared at her. _Cute? Nice?_ No. "Actually, she invited herself over. Not me."

"That's a technicality," Jasper said. "Maybe we can finally meet her."

"You have met her." I moved out of the room. Carlisle was standing in the hallway. I glared at him. "What now?"

"You know what," he said. "I don't want her over here."

I chuckled. "Sorry, but it's happening. You may not like her, but she's _my_ friend."

Emmett laughed in the kitchen. Apparently he found the term _friend_ hilarious. I ignored him.

Carlisle crossed his arms. I moved up the stairs. He wasn't finished. "You know that's not it, Edward. I would like her just fine if I knew she wasn't what she was."

I stopped.

"I'd rather you stay away—that way her chances would be better. Charlie knows what he's doing by keeping her from you. You're too self-interested."

I turned around and leaned on the wall. My irritation level was spiking. I grinded my teeth. I couldn't speak. I would burst if I did.

"Don't look at me like I'm talking crazy. You _like_ her. For the first time in your life you _like _someone. And what? You're just going to let her be? Keep her from transitioning? _I doubt it._"

The kitchen went quiet. I could only hear the vampire's thoughts. I chuckled coldly. "You just know me _so well_."

He nodded. "Even though you're mocking me, I like to think I do."

"For Christ sake, would you listen to yourself?"

He didn't respond.

"She's coming over and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Charlie might have another opinion," he said under his breath.

In the kitchen, Emmett laughed. "Oh snap," he yelled.

"You're going to tell him about us." It wasn't a question. I saw in his mind his intention of mentioning Bella and my _relationship_.

"Not if I don't have to."

I smirked. "You're unbelievable."

"I'm looking out for _her_, not you. That's what we're supposed to be doing."

"Oh are _we_?" I said. "I didn't know this was a group affair. Not that it's any of your business, but Charlie and I had a talk. He knows he can't keep her from being herself. I'm the only one that knows what she's going through. You're _forgetting_ that."

"That's great Edward. I hope you're right."

I couldn't take it anymore. I turned my back and headed up the stairs. My room was at the end of the hall, and after entering it, I slammed my door to bring out the teenager in me.

I didn't feel any better.

I knew Carlisle was right. I didn't know what my motives with Bella were.

Just being near her felt right.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

"I'm starving," I told Charlie.

He stopped adjusting his gun holster and looked up at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"You're kidding me right? I just made you dinner a few hours ago. You ate the entire pot of Kraft Dinner."

"Yeah well…" I didn't know what to say. I was eating like an obese man lately. I assumed it was because my first day I hadn't eaten anything. Now I was just making up for lost time. Yeah, that had to be it. "Maybe you can make me something else when you get home."

He raised his eyebrows. "It will be like three in the morning. No way. And you have school."

"I'll be hungry though." I don't know why I was continuing to bug him. I had only started the food conversation to make him think I would be waiting up for him. Now not only did I have his trust, but I knew what time he was going to be home. This was too perfect.

"My God, cook yourself something if you're hungry! I don't care. You know where the fridge is. The oven is in here too. Knock yourself out."

I looked at the floor, playing my part perfectly. "I don't know how to cook."

There was a silence. I looked up at him. His eyes were wide in disbelief. "You're kidding me."

"Not really." It was true too. I didn't know how to cook. Why would I? I was a foster kid for Christ sake. No family ever let me near there appliances or food cabinets.

"Bella…" he shook his head. "I'm late. I've got to get out of here." He pulled his car keys out of his pocket. I sat down on a bar stool and tried to look tired, even though my insides were pulling me outside. "Now you have my number this time—you don't need to go calling your boyfriend this time."

I smiled. "You think he's my boyfriend?"

He glared at me. "Hell no—that was my attempt at humour."

"Thought so. Just checking."

"Good night Bella. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yup."

He eyed me warily. I knew his questioning look—he was wondering if he needed to remind me of the consequences of leaving the house. I stared at him, waiting for his nagging to come.

It didn't.

"Alright…" he hesitated. "See yeah." He walked out of the kitchen, and when I heard the front door open and shut, I exhaled.

"_See yeah,"_ I said lowly.

I smiled.

-x-

"Damn it."

It was 10pm. I couldn't find Edward's number.

"Come on…" It wasn't in my jean pockets. And when I remembered leaving it in Charlie's office, I checked his desk. There was no sign of it even though I knew I left it on his desk. "Fucking Charlie." The bastard had swiped it like a fucking credit card. Now I was left with only my memory of a few digits…and that wasn't good.

I picked up the phone on Charlie's desk and collapsed into his computer chair. The numbers on the phone stared at me while my finger hovered over each one before I made my decision. "Okay…5…2…6…" I was confident in the beginning. It only got worse. "Umm…" the tone hummed in my ear, threatening me to hurry up before it would disconnect. My fingers quickly slammed into the last four numbers. "2, 8, 9…4."

I drummed my fingers while the dial tone rang through my ear. An answer on the other end woke me up from my slouched position. _"Bonjour?"_ a strong feminine voice asked.

I fell over the side of the desk chair, bringing it to the floor on top of me. I choked back a laugh. "Hi—Edward?" I asked. I don't know why I did that. But there I was, kneeling on the floor, the desk eye level with me, and a French lady on the other end. Yup, _definitely Edward._ I smiled when I thought about how funny it would be if the woman told me to hold and passed the phone to him.

I hung up on the lady when the French started up again and then pulled myself and the chair back into position. I started at the phone with a new determination, and tried the other number I had in my head. The phone dialled again, and I waited.

"_John's Pizza," _a male voice informed me.

My stomach dropped. "Oh my God—really?"

"_Maim, please place your order—it's a busy night. Are you ordering take-out or delivery?"_

I leaned back in the chair and smiled. This had to be the best damn night of my life. "Delivery of course," I replied confidently.

"_And what would you like?"_

I hesitated. "Umm…what do you have?"

"_Maim I'm not reading the menu—"_

"Okay, okay…" I flipped the phone to my other ear. "I'll have a pizza. The biggest you got. Everything on it—oh no wait, I don't want mushrooms."

"_An extra-large pizza, the works, no mushrooms. That it?"_

_Is that it…_I sighed. "For tonight, sure."

"_That's going to be $21.50, and we should have a delivery guy out to you in about an hour."_

"An hour? That's kind of long—"

"_It's busy."_

"Fine. You need my address or something?"

"_No we got it. It's pulled up on our screen."_

"Wow. Isn't technology something?"

"_You're not the first to say that—have a good night."_

"Miss you already."

He hung up.

I dropped the phone back onto the receiver. Sure, maybe I didn't have Edward's number in my phone book, but hey, I now had John's…and he had pizza.

I would have danced around or at least thrown my head back in an old fashioned way, but when I stood up and stretched out my back, I realized one thing I would need tonight.

Money.

And the only money I had was Jake's…which was in Leah's leather jacket...which I had left in Edward's car…

"Fuck." I walked out of Charlie's office, already feeling the guilt for just thinking about searching the house for some extra change. But it was only a thought—I wouldn't actually do that…

My stomach growled.

I was hungry but I knew I couldn't wait for the pizza—I simply couldn't afford it. A delivery guy was on his way here, and that meant I needed to peace out in order to avoid that awkward moment of _"Yeah can I just pay you in appreciation…or maybe smiles?"_. Instead of allowing that to happen, I decided to throw on Edward's hoodie, put on my chucks without socks, and enter into the night after exiting the house of Swan.

Where would I be when the pizza got here?—who knows.

All I knew was the direction of Edward's house and my capable legs that could get me there.

Here's to hoping.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Someone knocked on my door.

It was Alice.

I told her to go away.

She wouldn't.

"I'm waiting for an important call—just leave!" I yelled.

"You won't be getting it," she said, opening my door.

I dropped the ball I had been tossing off a wall. "Why not?"

"Bella can't find your number. She called someone else instead—he'll be there in an hour."

"He?"

"Yup."

"What the hell…" I stood up off my couch and threw on my leather jacket. On the edge of my couch, Bella's jacket, hoodie, and helmet laid out neatly from the night she had left everything in my car.

"Don't worry—she's not even going to cross paths with him."

I stopped and stared. "Why not?"

Alice smirked. "'Cause she's headed here."

-x-


	23. A MILLION MILES A MINUTE

**Disclaimer:** _Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**Chapter 23: A MILLION MILES A MINUTE**

_**Edward Cullen**_

_**Sunday night, 11:30pm**_

I drove slowly because of the fog in front of the car…

I slammed on the brakes.

A figure ten feet outside the windshield stared into the headlights on the side of the road.

It was Bella…Apparently she hadn't made it that far from Charlie's house. Then again, I hadn't really given her the chance to.

She looked up into the light with her hand outstretched to block the beams. Her eyes squinted at the car, her hood up covering half her face, her other hand in the front pocket of her hoodie.

I smiled.

_I know that hoodie._ She was wearing my clothes. I hadn't even asked her to.

I rolled down the passenger window and yelled for her.

"Bella—it's me!" I waved my hand at her when she jogged over to the side of the car and peered into the open window. Her body posture was laidback and unconcerned with life. I didn't think anything ever fazed her in life—maybe it was the hybrid nature instead of her own. "What are you doing?" I sounded like a bloody idiot. "I mean, where are you going? You didn't call me. I just decided to come and see if you changed your mind."

She opened the door and plopped herself into the seat, slamming the door when she was situated. I put my foot on the gas and started down the road again, my gaze glancing her way every five seconds.

"Is everything fine?" I asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer. _Fine enough to blow me off. _I waited for her to mention calling someone else—probably _Jacob_—but she continued to stay silent like her mind. I wondered if she even used her mind for anything—she seemed to be all instinct these days.

Her head fell back on the headrest as she turned her gaze out the window. The wind blew a few strands of her hair out of her hood—well, my hood if we were getting technical—which wafted her scent mixed with mine straight in my direction. It could have been a perfume called "Meant to Be" if it hit commercial shelves, or "You're Dead, Cullen" if it hit Charlie's nostrils.

"Bella I don't understand—"

"It's called Charlie."

I didn't expect that answer, and the fact that I didn't was a sign of how Charlie was working. I was already getting comfortable with the idea that he and I were okay enough to walk past the other, but of course, he was the guy with the girl of my dreams, and he knew he had the power to take her away.

I could have rolled my eyes. _Girl of my dreams_. How ironic.

Bella didn't mention anything further. I just raised my eyebrows, waiting for something else, but just the wind on the side of the car cut into the silence. I would have leaned over and turned on the radio, but I feared where my hand would go knowing her hand was vulnerably placed on her knee, her other one held across her chest and latched to her shoulder like a shield.

The silence drew my gaze through the windshield and up to the moon, which was still half full and just barely casting light into the car. The stars were bright though—that's something—but not bright enough to overtake the dark shadows playing across the road after the fog drifted behind us.

The silence didn't last. Bella killed it.

"Charlie's a fucking idiot if he thinks I don't know what he's up to," she said suddenly, snapping her head to look in my direction.

I stepped on the gas as a reflex, swallowing dry air in the process. "Oh yeah? Why's that?" My body was on the edge of my seat—what was she insinuating? She couldn't know anything…she was living in the dark, and that was the way Charlie wanted it. But still, from the look in her eyes, I could tell she was suspicious. I'd be to if I was used to free reign and suddenly caged. I'd kill myself all over again if Charlie were my foster parent. Well, _foster person_, as she had reminded me the other night. Ridiculous…

"Charlie promised he'd start over fresh—_give me a chance and I'll give you a chance_—but then he went and took your fucking number! He doesn't like you—_hates you_ in fact! Why? Why does he hate you! What's so scary about a boy in a leather jacket and hoodie—and speaking of _hoodies_, Charlie fucking knew this was yours!" She pulled the throat of her hoodie away from her neck, and then dropped her grip, letting her hand fall into her lap in defeat. I could still smell her scent mixed with mine on her clothes. "I don't know how, but the guy must know your scent. And don't call me crazy, because it happened! _It happened_—he looked right at me and said '_nice hoodie_' in his stupid little interrogation voice. It pissed me off."

I didn't know what to say. She was observant—dangerously observant. Or maybe Charlie was dangerously sloppy. His loathing for me was on an entire different level that she could never understand—well, he'd never let her understand it if things went his way.

I chuckled lowly first, trying to play off her acquisitions as a joke, but then hesitated for words. I needed to make her see his side, even though it was the last thing I wanted. "He hates me because he thinks I'm a dead beat, and that if you hang out with me, you'll turn out just like me." She made a sound of disgust or irritation. She didn't know how much truth there was to my statement. I needed to keep up the act if I wanted Charlie to trust me but at the same time, give Bella a piece of mind that she wanted. "I was never interested in school…"_ That's a fact._ "I never went, and instead I got into trouble, which police started noticing."

She perked up. I had her interest. She looked like a kid with a secret. "What'd you do?" she asked with a devious smile. Her eyes caught the light from the moon, putting a hint of red in her irises before turning dark.

I decided there was no hurt in telling her some of my past. I wanted her to know—well, not know the details of the goriness, but at least something that she could relate to. With discretion, I could talk to her like I was in the same century as her, no longer a million miles away.

"Don't hold back on me, _Cullen_," she said, sinking down in her seat after adjusting her body to face me. She didn't have her seat belt on, but if I told her to put it on, that would seem incredibly over protective and lame. "How about I make a deal with you? You tell me some of your past, I tell you some of mine…" She looked at me with a gleam in her eye—not a red gleam this time, but something entirely different. It was her way of charming me. And it worked.

"Deal," I said. I held out my right hand and she shook it quickly before dropping it. She cleared her throat and cocked an eyebrow, forcing me to begin. I sighed and shook my head, my gaze watching the curves of the road. I decided to take the long way to our house—I wanted time alone. Besides, God only knows how much time she'd need to tell her life story. "Where should I start…" I said with a sigh in my voice. The beginning was good enough. So that's what I did. "I started being a pain in the ass when I turned seventeen."

Out of the corner of my eye, her neck straightened up. She didn't need to ask me—I saw her confusion—but she asked anyway. "Wait a sec—I've been under the impression you were my age this whole time. How old _are_ you?"

_Damn it. _I had barely finished a sentence and had already regretted lying to her. It was going to be hard telling her the story I told everyone, when I really wanted to tell her the truth.

"You're not seventeen like me—how old are you?" she asked again.

"Nineteen," I lied, knowing this was the age the schools and people believed me to be. "Carlisle and Esme moved to Forks five years ago. After three years of peaceful living in the small town, I ruined their reputation by getting kicked out of my military academy. I was seventeen and had to come and start over in this small town. That was two years ago. Carlisle hasn't forgiven me since." There was zero fact to the story. Well, my moving in with them after their peaceful living was true enough, but the academy part and being a wild child wasn't exact. It was all an act to make the part fit. It was one Carlisle had made up to make my sudden showing up in Forks believable. Of course, I hadn't gotten even close to the age of nineteen in real life—my hybrid mind and body had killed me even before I had the chance to save myself. There was no chance, just like I thought there was no chance for Bella.

"I guess you look nineteen…" She looked like she wasn't swallowing the lie too smoothly. I wanted to come clean and tell her the truth—everything—but hell, that would be the stupidest thing I could ever do. Maybe some day I could, but not now. "So you're not in high school, I'm assuming?"

I sighed. "No, I am. I'm making up for the time I lost—just night school now." That was the truth. I was only in night school now to get a diploma. With that, I'd have something to show for my long life of nothing. "I wouldn't go to school when I came to Forks. So now I have a year to make up for. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. I should have just stayed at the private school."

"Why were you kicked out?"

I knew the question was coming. It wasn't the first time I was asked it, and I had an answer ready. I just wished I didn't have to tell it to Bella—for once it felt wrong to lie, but I couldn't tell her the truth. "I was framed for a fire that burnt down an entire west wing of the school. Police were involved. It was sticky but I didn't get charged. There was no proof, yet the board felt I was a detriment to their penal system." I sounded like a robot. But it was half-true—well, was inspired from the real story. In 1901, while I was running on my bad streak, I had burnt down a barn that belonged to the mayor's parents. I was sent to county jail. Four days later, I was released to my parents after Dad offered money beneath the table to clear my name. That's when the blackmail started…

Bella actually handled the lie nicely. _Too nicely_. Apparently she found my situation relatable, and off she went sharing her own pyromania story. "I was accused of lighting a garbage can outside my school on fire. I was expelled and then my foster parents were scared I was a pyromaniac and called the social workers to come place me somewhere else," Bella admitted out of nowhere.

"Is that right?" I asked.

"Yeah—but I actually did do it, so it wasn't a huge shock."

I laughed. She did too. We would have been a crazy couple if she had been around in my time. At least we had this century, though…only she'd be moving on, and I'd be here forever…well…who knows.

"So Charlie hates you because he thinks you're going to set his house on fire—is that it?"

I shrugged. "Sure. That and the fact that I kept getting in trouble with the cops. I kept breaking into places just to see if I could, and then I'd steal and try and get the town's attention—it was stupid and it got me in trouble. _Big trouble_." This part was true. I wanted to forget the havoc I caused for my family, killing their good Mason name, but it was etched into my mind so I could remember it forever.

"Wow," she said, looking away from me. "That sounds fun though…" She turned and smiled at me. "But at least you've showed him you're not like that anymore."

"Yeah—that was when I was seventeen. I'm not like that anymore. I'm different." _Different._ Isn't that the truth. "But that's it. Nothing else, really. I still skip school now and then, and I might get a speeding ticket every so often, but Charlie and I don't cross paths unless we have to."

I left it at that. She could take the story for what it was—nothing but factual fiction—and then move on.

She sighed. "Well, your past is a lot cooler than mine. You have reason's to act out—I'd be pissed to if I was accused of something I didn't do. But no, I just act stupid to act stupid…"

I stopped at the end of the road and then turned right onto another back lane. Trees surrounded the road. The sky was incredibly dark. It was her turn for story telling. I probably dreaded her past more than she did. Anything that hurt her killed me ten times more it seemed.

"I guess it's my turn," she said. I glanced her way, but her body was now turned away from me, her head back on the head rest, her neck strained so that I could see the veins popping from underneath the skin. I gripped the wheel with an iron grasp—I dreaded what car accident was headed my way. "I can't really remember that much from when I was younger, and it's kind of hard to remember which foster homes came first…but I do remember an orphanage."

_An orphanage_. What was this, the sixties? Charlie never mentioned anything about an orphanage. God, I really didn't know anything about this girl, and even so, I felt closer to her than any other person.

"I shouldn't be able to remember it, but I swear…_I do_. I was probably two—not even." She stopped momentarily. The engine was loud. The tires rubbed against the rocks on the road.

I glanced over at her. I couldn't see her face—the hood covered her completely.

She continued back up, this time her tone a bit higher. "Whatever though—life started when I left there. I was eight—" I cut her off.

"Eight? That means you were in an orphanage for like—"

"Yeah and that's irrelevant."

I shut my mouth. Everything she was going to say would rip something out of me. I had to just suck it up and hold it in.

So I did.

"I believe I've been to…eight maybe…yeah, _eight_ foster homes—well nine if you count Charlie's." She paused, finding her spot. Her tone was indifferent. I wondered if she would keep it up. "I kept being passed around to new families because I was—well, _am_—an asshole." I could hear the smile on her voice. I don't think she actually believed that. Well, I told myself she didn't. "And I imagine my running away from five of the homes played a part." Again, she stopped and I could tell she was finding amusement in her situation. "I don't remember exact details from those families or why I ran away—why not was my only reason for most of them." She shifted in her seat. I did too. "My first foster home was amazing." Her voice became soft and reminiscent. "Well, it probably really wasn't _that_ amazing, if a _normal_ kid stayed there, but from what I was used to, I absolutely loved it. There were only two other kids in the house and I got top bunk, which was awesome because in the orphanage, I had bottom bunk and I always wanted to be on top."

_That_ made me smile. It was sad that something so small could make her feel happy. But that's what mattered in life—those little things. Little things keep people alive. Well, most people…

"The lady that looked after us was really old though, and her health got bad just as we were getting comfortable. I had to leave when she decided fostering wasn't possible anymore—all three of us left. I was devastated. I spent over a year there and then it was wiped clean. I thought she would adopt us all. Instead, the kids and I got sent to other places. I really liked those kids because they liked me too."

My insides could have twisted. She hadn't even gotten to the grit of her situation.

"The second and third foster homes—I don't know, I can't remember anything special about them. I guess they weren't _that_ bad, but they weren't like the first home, and that was an issue for me. The fourth—no actually it was the fifth—had no other kids, but the couple that took me in was Catholic and I don't think they knew what they were getting themselves into with me, so I showed them." She laughed after, making me laugh too. I could only imagine what she did to those folks. "They didn't expect a little fifteen-year-old girl to turn crucifixes upside down, rip verses from the bible, or steal from the pot at church."

I raised my eyebrows. _That_ took balls. She looked over at me. I tried to hide my reaction.

She smiled. "Yup. I knew what was sacred to them, so I destroyed it. They must have thought I was Satan. When they caught me stealing from their church—I think I got like four dollars, not even—instead of correcting me right on the spot, they pretended it didn't happen to save face, and waited until I got home." She chuckled lowly to herself. "Everything happens behind closed doors…I learned that later that night."

A shot went down my spine…but she continued like nothing.

"Number six and seven ignored me, so I ignored them and ran away. No big deal. I had done it before." She paused. "Then there was the last foster home…." Her voice had changed, no longer joking. She hesitated. I heard her heart-rate pick up. "But long story short, number eight got me here." She looked up from her lap and gestured with her hands the space that was around her. I was grateful to have her near me, but I wondered if she felt the same way.

She didn't continue—that was it. Her vague detail on her last location gave me the creeps. Sometimes not knowing was worse than knowing.

"How much longer to your house?" she asked, switching the topic.

"We're almost there," I told her. _Almost there…_

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

Edward barely had the car in park before I jumped out of the passenger seat.

"Bella wait—"

I slammed the car door and ran around the parked Jeep and red Mercedes, stopping when I saw my dirt-bike on its kickstand, all shiny in its coat of lime green. It wasn't alone in Edward's garage—a sturdy looking boy with short brown hair and blue eyes leaned near the bike.

"Hello there," he said with a smile. "I'm Emmett."

I stared at him with furrowed brows, already disliking his upfront, overconfident attitude. Confident people pissed me off.

He held out his hand. I didn't even think about reaching out to take it, but Edward apparently thought I would. He immediately stepped between us, his arm brushing onto mine for closure.

"Ignore my brother. He's just being a nuisance," Edward said, not even looking at me and giving a glare to his brother.

I stepped around him—how else was I going to see my bike?

"You like it?" Emmett asked, ignoring Edward's obvious distaste for his presence. "I got it running for you—not an easy task considering all the crashes it went through the other night."

Immediately, I snapped my head up from the bike and stared at Edward's brother. "What are you talking about?" I asked lamely, pretending I had no idea what he was inferring. But it was obvious—he knew the bike was the very one that had crashed the other night at the race, which meant he knew who the rider was…

I cringed when I saw him smile. "Come on," he said playfully. "I'm not an idiot." He backed away from the bike, and when he did, I saw Edward straighten his posture. He looked uncomfortable all the sudden.

"There are a lot of lime green bikes out there," I told him, trying to cover my ass. "Maybe you're getting mine confused with another."

Emmett was now at the end of the garage sporting an incredibly huge smirk on his face. "I don't know about that," he said, leaning on a covered piece of equipment behind him. Even before I could wonder what was hiding beneath the tarp, he leaned away from the covered object and yanked the tarp off in one swift motion, revealing a _red_ dirt-bike and _red _helmet. But not just any _red_ dirt-bike…or _red helmet_…

My eyes widened when it all registered with me.

"I think I'd remember the bike that cost me the race," he said coolly before covering his bike back up.

I felt Edward's eyes on the side of my face, but I shook my head in disbelief. "_I_ cost you the race? Was this before or after _you_ cut me off and took _both_ of us down?"

"Emmett I think you should leave—" Emmett cut Edward off.

"You got in my way. Besides—it wasn't on my doing. I was just following your little lover boy's instructions." He nodded over at Edward.

I scrunched my forehead—I didn't know what he was talking about. And when I looked over at Edward with a question mark on my face, he just stared into space like a fucking deer about to be killed by oncoming traffic.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's he saying?"

Edward glared at Emmett before looking at me. "I was under the impression that you were someone else…and I was still angry about—well it was all a misunderstanding."

Emmett shook his head. "He told me to make sure you didn't cross the finish line—"

"I did not—"

"Well something like that. And I did it."

I crossed my arms and stared in silence at my dirt-bike. I remembered Edward's anger that night from our scuffle when he thought I was just some punk-ass teenager. The facts were clear though—I _was_ a punk-ass teenager…and he just happened to be a sucker. I couldn't blame the guy for his reaction…even though I kind of wanted to.

But instead of giving Emmett a reaction, I played it cool by not reacting at all. I just stared into space at the dirt-bike, circling it to take in every scratch and dent before stopping right next to Emmett. I faced him. "How'd you straighten the handle bars without replacing them?"

His face twitched in amusement. Edward shifted his footing. I cocked an eyebrow. "Let's just say I'm really good with bikes," he said like a cocky bastard.

I chuckled. I didn't like him at all. He definitely wasn't Edward's biological brother.

He frowned. "What's with the lame laugh?"

Edward glared at him. I shook my head. "If you're so good with bikes, why are you letting it leak oil onto the floor?"

He leaned over immediately to check. "Where? I don't see—"

"Just kidding." I smirked and looked over at Edward. Edward's face had lightened up a touch. Not much though, but it was better than his glare.

"You guys are so cute," he said before leaving the garage. When he shut the door behind him, I exhaled in relief.

"Wow," Edward said behind me. "I've been trying to scare him off all my life."

I shrugged. "It's a gift—I've been scaring off boys since forever."

He rolled his eyes. "Doubt it."

I shook my head. "You don't know me."

"I like to think I do."

"You couldn't pick me out from a crowd of teenagers—we already know that."

He sighed. "Bella about what Emmett just said…I'm sorry about that—"

I cut in. "I don't care—I already told you that." I could have made a big deal out of it, but I wasn't a skirt wearing, bitchy girl type. I could forgive…but _forget?_…I'd have to wait and see about that. Besides, it was stupid to cry over that night any further. _No hurt, no…_I couldn't remember the rest. Instead, I changed the topic. "I want to take this bike back to Charlie's."

"Are you kidding me?" He stepped forward and touched the bike seat.

In defence, I put my hand near his, just so he'd know I was fighting for it. "Yeah—I'm driving it back tonight. I know where I'll keep it. Charlie won't even know."

"There's nothing in this town that Charlie doesn't know."

"Well whatever. If things get risky I'll call Jake."

Edward dropped his hand from the bike and took a step back.

"Oh my God don't even start—"

"What? It's fine. I just don't see the difference between leaving it at that kid's house and mine."

I chuckled. "He's restoring it for me. That way I can actually join some races again without Maksim finding out—"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"One race was enough."

"No it wasn't. Not until I win one."

He pulled his hand through his hair. I crossed my arms and held tightly onto my elbows. My stomach growled. He looked up at me. "Are you hungry or something?" His voice sounded dead. I don't know why he even bothered asking.

"Don't worry about it—I called for a pizza before I left."

"Are you serious?" His tone came out of the darkness to lighten up the moment.

"Yeah. I need my jacket back from you to pay for it—it has cash in it."

"Oh well I can pay—"

"No that's okay."

He looked at me funny. "Just trying to be nice."

"You don't need to be nice. I already know you're a nice guy."

He tried to hide a smirk by walking over to the side door. He looked over his shoulder at me. "I'll go get your jacket—and you're helmet, I guess, since you're insisting on taking the bike."

He was gone for barely a minute before he walked back into the garage.

I looked at him suspiciously, just to put him on his toes. "That was quick."

"Yeah it was just in the kitchen. Plus Carlisle is home—I didn't want him noticing me."

"You mean you didn't want him noticing _me._"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

I took the jacket from him first. Jake's friend Leah was probably wondering where it had gone off to. I wasn't worried about that—I just wanted the cash, which was still in the pockets, along with my racing gloves. "Can I have my helmet?" I asked.

He held it out to me, but when I reached for it, he suddenly pulled it back.

"Edward," I said through gritted teeth.

"Are you sure you haven't changed your mind about leaving it here? Emmett can fix up your bike."

"I'm good. I got a mechanic."

He looked at the ground with an irritated frown, but eventually had to hand me my helmet. I plucked it onto my head after putting on the leather jacket. He held something else out to me, but I couldn't see it clearly from under the tint of my helmet. I pushed up the visor and looked down the material hanging over his hand. "It's your hoodie," he said.

I shrugged. "Call it a fair trade," I said, tugging at the hoodie I had on—which was his, of course. Now mine though…

His eyes peered into mine, and I wasn't sure why he was doing that. But he eventually nodded and threw it over his shoulder. "Fair enough," he said. He took a step closer to me, his eyes still staring through the slit of the helmet, watching me like a hawk.

"Tell your brother _thanks_," I said before snapping the visor down and turning my back to him to get on the bike.

"Sure," he said casually. I could hear the distaste in his voice—or was it disappointment? I'm not sure.

But before I could step onto the bike, he grabbed my wrist.

I turned around and looked up at his creased eyebrows and zoned out gaze. He wouldn't be able to see the surprise on my face from beneath the helmet.

"I don't want to call it a night—how about I come along." His voice was quick and breathless. He held my arm tightly. I felt like he was begging to follow me.

And honestly, I couldn't care less—I'd rather have him close by, I just didn't want to get caught out tonight. "Okay," I said, flipping the visor up again. "But two people on this bike is going to be tight."

He smiled. "No. I got a better idea." He looked away from me. I followed his gaze to the corner of the room where Emmett had covered his pride and glory.

I grinned.

Edward's face held a devious smirk.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend the night.

-x-

Even though I had told Edward I'd keep it under the speed limit—for the bike's sake, he told me, not his—I couldn't help but speed off into the darkness.

I pretended I was alone for the majority of the time, just weaving through the dotted yellow lines, pretending the road didn't have two sides. I drove straight down the middle, even around the blind curves. Dangerous, _yes_, but unbelievably freeing.

I looked over my shoulder when I remembered Edward. He was keeping up well enough so far, tailing ten feet behind me, his red-helmet nowhere near as badass as the skull and crossbones I was flipping him.

I would have waved to him or maybe even flipped him off for old times sake if he hadn't suddenly straightened out of his hunch and looked over my shoulder—

I turned around just as the headlights came around the second corner, where the driver of the two bright headlights began pounding their horn and flickering their high beams, warning me of my death if stayed playing chicken.

I saw the danger if I allowed the bike to close the distance, but in the back of my head, I felt the urge to stay on the yellow line, just to see—

I pulled out of the way at the last possible second, the truck horn blaring as I blew past, Edward following close behind. I gripped the handles of the bike with all my strength while my body shook with adrenaline—what the hell just happened?

Luckily, instead of crashing or doing something else insane, the next street was Charlie's, and before I knew it, I was parked in the driveway. I threw off my helmet, letting it land on the grass, and tilted the bike onto its kickstand.

Then came Edward.

"Jesus Christ!" he yelled. "What the hell was that!"

I looked over my shoulder. He had already dropped Emmett's bike onto its side and thrown his helmet next to mine on the grass. He was in front of my face with the moon catching only the sharp angles of his face. I noticed his hands and how he couldn't seem to keep them from curling without pulling them through his hair to rip at his roots. He couldn't keep still, and then his back was to me, where he paced the driveway.

I leaned on the bike and watched.

"Honestly Bella—" He couldn't even get a complete sentence out.

"I know," I sighed lamely.

He flipped around as soon as the word left my mouth. He stared at me with his hands on the top of his head, his fingers laced, his shoulders pulling the leather jacket away from the grey v-neck sticking to his chest. He looked…unbelievable. Why he chose to ever follow _me_ into the night would never be known.

He dropped his arms and moved towards me with a pace that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. His body posture was insanely stiff and his jaw—

"You've got to stop doing things like that," he said lowly, his body so close to mine that I had to flick my eyes up to stair into his clenched jaw that was absolutely killing me. I swear, I nearly fell over the other side of the damn bike just from looking at his dewy skin and pissed off face.

"Doing things like what?" I asked him, just to get a rise out of him.

It worked. His eyes darted down onto mine before closing in frustration. He looked incredibly irritated by my childish behaviour, and in doing so, he couldn't look any more incredible to _me_. I lived to get attention—his attention was twenty-times more rewarding, and I was just figuring that out.

"I'm kidding." I reached out and tugged the bottom of his jacket, leaving my grip there until he finally opened his eyes. I dropped my hand shortly after, but it didn't get far away from him before he reached out and laced his fingers in mine. His eyes held my gaze until his fingers pulled away from my touch, and then trailed up my arm to find the back of my neck.

I closed my eyes.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

I held her in front of me, one hand on the back of her neck, the other placed on the bike seat beside her.

She closed her eyes.

I leaned into her, her knees touching mine, my jacket zipper scraping against hers.

The kiss was going to happen…if two headlights hadn't turned into the driveway.

She shoved me away from her and I instinctually backed away from her, fearing Charlie was behind the wheel. How I had let this happen was beyond me—

"My pizza," Bella said, stepping towards the truck when the driver's side door opened. Sure enough, that's exactly what I smelled. Mixed with the scent of the night was cheese, pepperoni, and—

My eyes widened when I saw the boy's face just as his head popped out from around the truck, his arms full from carrying a pizza box.

"Someone order a pizza?" Mike Newton asked with a smirk, his eyes never finding mine. He stared at Bella with anxious eyes, taking her in like—_God, he was a dead_ _man._

From the looks of Bella's sudden pause in the driveway and tense body posture, I knew she recognized Maksim's pack follower immediately. But of course, instead of staying back and letting me get rid of him, she turned on her dark attitude. I wanted to send her away but I knew I couldn't.

"No, wrong house," she said before crossing her arms. "Maybe it's the neighbours. They seem like the pizza ordering type."

I could have killed Bella when her attempt at clearing things over got a rise out of him. He chuckled at her humour and looked her up and down, his gaze finally finding the dirt-bike. His eyes froze on it before he looked back at her, his eyebrows rising to let her know what was up.

_He recognized the damn bike._

I quickly jumped in front of her and had cash out of my pocket before he could even ask for it. "Here—keep the change," I told him after squaring my shoulders and blocking his view of Bella.

He eyed me suspiciously, but took the two twenty's without hesitation. I watched where his eyes rolled, and after looking over my shoulder at Bella for far too long, I cleared my throat.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, keeping up with the glare to scare him off. His mind was going a million miles a minute, but most of his thoughts circled around three things—Maksim, Bella, and _the bike_.

He shrugged nonchalantly, tucking the money into his red uniform polo. "Just doing my job," he said with a gleam in his eye. Then his eyes lingered over towards the bike. "Nice piece of work you got there," he said, nodding at the dirt-bike.

I cringed mentally when I saw his thoughts from earlier today of the same bike in the back of his truck. I tasted the regret for allowing Bella to bring it back here. Now Maksim would know where to look to get his revenge.

"It's a piece of shit," Bella spat back. Would it kill her to keep her mouth shut?

"Sure is," I said before grabbing the pizza from his arms. He needed to get out of here before Bella said anything else.

Thankfully, Mike turned away from us, and without another word, got back into his truck and backed down the driveway. After a few moments, only the sound of his stereo in the distance could be heard—oh, except for Bella's heart, which was going a million miles a minute.

I turned and looked at her.

She looked at me.

"We've got to get that bike out of here," I told her. Whether she liked it or not, it had to happen. Thankfully, she appeared to be on the same page.

"Jacob?" she asked, waiting for my response.

And even though it killed me…I nodded.

-x-

**I'll update as quickly as possible.**


	24. LOOKING FOR DECKHANDS

_******Disclaimer:** __Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**___A/N: Check out the new fan art for this story on my profile. It's badass._**

**Chapter 24: LOOKING FOR DECKHANDS**

_**12:30am**_

I sat on the step and ate the pizza while Edward paced off to the right, cutting a path in Charlie's front lawn.

"Come have some of this—it's actually really good for being delivered by a sleaze." I held up a piece of the pizza, but instead of passing it to him, I bit a piece off the end. "Sorry that just looked really good. I'll get you another one—"

"I'm not hungry."

I looked over at him with a smirk. He was still walking back and forth, his arms loose at his sides, his face covered with irritation. He was incredibly moody now that he knew Jacob was coming over. The fact that I knew Jake's number and not his must have pissed him off. Hey, I couldn't help if Charlie had it written on the fridge…besides, it was our only option at the moment. The bike needed to get out of here before it was taken without my permission.

"He's sure taking his time," Edward said, shaking his head.

"See—I told you we should have just driven it down. It makes more sense. Then you could have driven me back on your bike. It would have been fun—"

"Like I already told you—"

"Charlie isn't going to be home for awhile—"

"If we went down there, I guarantee you it would be the same time Charlie came home, and then you'd be down in La Push, and then what?"

"Yes, 'cause you being here is _so_ much better," I mumbled under my breath, looking to the ground.

"I like to think so."

I snapped my head up. His back was to me, staring out at the road. I didn't know how he heard me. But there wasn't exactly a moment to ask him—Jacob's truck pulled into the driveway, right behind the dirt-bikes.

"Speak of the devil," Edward said, moving through the moonlight towards the truck.

I shook my head when the chills went down my spine. His choice of words reminded me of the night Charlie had said the same thing after the red eyes came through woods in the Larsen's lot. Instinctively, I looked over my shoulder and then my other one, the hairs on the back of my neck rising in response. When I looked over at the truck, Jacob was already lifting the dirt-bike by himself into the bed of the truck, no questions asked, while Edward stood five meters away, acting as supervisor. Neither paid any attention to my presence or noticed the fear I felt from assuming something was lurking.

I dropped my gaze down at the pizza box to find my composure and then stood up on the porch, pretending to stretch out my arms and legs. Edward and Jacob continued to concentrate on their work, my presence none existent. "I'm going to go check to see what's to drink in Charlie's fridge. Want anything?"

Jacob barely even shrugged. Edward didn't even turn to face me before me said "No thank you." I eyed the duo for a few seconds before Edward finally looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes lazily drifting up my body and landing on my irritated face.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Fine." After picking up the pizza box, I turned and entered the dark house, pissed off by the boys' lack of life or energy. Their standoffish behaviour was an adrenaline kill—I wanted excitement, not dead eyes and tense shoulders. Why were they in another world—what did they see that I couldn't in the dirt-bike situation? But I wasn't interested in bothering them. If they wanted to ignore me, I could go inside and pretend to ignore them too.

The house didn't have any lights on inside, and I didn't know where the light switches were to turn any on to remove the dark. That left me with feeling my way down the dark hallway, where the only light came through the back window and the blinking red light from the security system. Charlie had yet to show me how to use the contraption, and I knew I'd be the first to fall for its traps.

When I got in the kitchen after putting finger prints all over the walls and dropping the pizza box on the countertop, I found the fridge from the gleam coming through the kitchen window, and when I opened the door, the white light lit up the room and blinded my eyes. I stared though the brightness, searching for a Coke or Pepsi symbol, but nothing unhealthy popped out at me.

"So fucking lame," I cursed to myself, slamming the door just in case I had the ability to break the fridge hinges off.

Instead of cracking open a pop, I opted to just stick my head under the sink and drink from the tap. After a few large gulps of crisp, cold water, I turned the tap off and wiped my face on a towel hanging from the oven handle. When I straightened up, my gaze went to the window over the sink, and when I stared out towards the drop near the forest line, I swear I saw—

I back pedalled straight into the kitchen island, which knocked over a bar stool and then sent me backwards over it. I landed on my ass, my legs tangled with the legs of the stool. I kicked my feet free and quickly crawled around to the other side of the island, my back to the window, my chest rising and falling like my pulse.

The kitchen lights turned on.

I stayed frozen on the ground, my knees at my face, until I heard Jacob's voice. "What the hell…" His voice trailed into the room.

I looked out from my position on the floor, tilting my eyes up to see Jacob with a questioning smirk on his face, unlike Edward whose eyebrows were smashed together in confusion. Edward came forward without a single hesitation, his face angry out of fear. It was worst case scenario with him. "What happened?" he said with his stupid tone.

I got to my feet before he could touch me, but in doing so, I bumped into another bar stool. It wobbled for a second before I steadied it _and_ myself. I didn't like how they were observing me. It made me feel like my actions were proof of something.

"Someone's skittish," Jacob said, moving towards the fridge before swinging it open and peering into it like I had only a minute ago. Like me, he didn't find anything interesting, and closed the door in two seconds with an unimpressed look on his face.

I ignored his comment and looked back out the window, but unlike before, I didn't see anything out of the way. But even so, my heart still felt like it was in my chest knowing someone had been down by the forest line.

"What is it?" Edward's voice snapped my eyes away from the window again, where I planted them onto his anxious, confused face. His lips were parted, about to say something, but I cut him off.

"Were you guys just in the backyard?" I asked lamely, my tone high and in the clouds to hide my concern.

Edward stared at me with an intense focus. It was a complete 180 from a few minutes ago when he and Jacob had practically ignored me. I didn't like it. Something was going on.

"Stop looking at me like that—you're scaring me."

"You're scaring me," he said, moving towards the window before looking over his shoulder at me. "What did you see Bella?" His eyebrows rose when I didn't respond right away, and his grip on the countertop went tight like the material across his puffed out chest. But before he could let me answer, his head snapped towards the window, and then just as quickly, his glare was on Jacob. _"You need to get that bike out of here now,"_ he ordered Jake, pointing a finger at the door.

I snapped my head in Jake's direction, whose gaze was out the window, transfixed.

I froze when I knew I wasn't just seeing things. "Jacob—"

"They're here," he said before running from the kitchen.

I jumped around the bar stool without a thought for why, my chest immediately filling with a need to act and my lungs feeling light and free. I felt like I could punch through a wall—there wasn't fear like before. I ran after Jake like I actually had something to offer in the situation, but I only made it to the front door before Edward came up and shot his arm out in front of me. I ducked beneath it without thinking twice, but he grabbed me around the waist and spun me against a wall, my back pressed flat against the jip rock. I couldn't believe he had done that. I pulled against his control. "Are you kidding me right now—"

"What are you going to do about it?" Edward argued, his voice sounding like a deep growl, his gaze outside the door. He pressed me harder against the wall when I tried shoving him away from me. "It's Maksim out there—"

I kneed him in the crotch. He rolled off me after letting out a swallowed curse word.

I ran out the door and yelled for Jacob. "Jake!"

"Bella they're taking the bike!" he yelled form somewhere down the road.

I jumped off the porch and ran across the grass, following his voice to the road, where squealing tires and mocking laughter fell into the distance. When my feet hit the pavement, I was staring at Jake's back, his hands on his head, the smell of defeat strong and fresh.

I was about to ask, but he turned and faced me. "He got what he wanted."

I heard Edward's feet jogging up the driveway towards us. "It was them—Maksim?" I asked, out of breath from the idea of his crew lurking and waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"Maksim's got his bike back," Jake said nonchalantly, already closing the case and calling it quits. That wasn't what I expected. I wanted retaliation. I wanted a standoff. I wanted payback—they didn't give up and either should we!

I took a step back. "What—how? He just what, came up and got it—"

Edward cut in. "No—Bella's dirt-bike is still there," he corrected Jake. I looked over my shoulder at his face. He looked at me for only a second, his eyes accusing me from the hit, before he continued talking. "It's fine," he told me. "They were just trying to scare you tonight."

Jacob didn't agree. "No…" he said slowly. "They sped out of the driveway—there was a bike speeding behind a truck full of guys."

My chest lifted. I turned my hopeful gaze on Jacob. "My bike's still in your truck?"

Jacob pointed over my shoulder. I flipped around and all three of us stared at the lime-green handle bar poking out of the bed of the truck. The longer I stared at the bike, the better I felt…until I realized whose bike was missing. My stomach began to sink.

"So you're saying…" I couldn't continue when I saw the look on Edward's face. It was a look of disbelief and sheer anger, all bottled up with his blank outlook on the scene.

"They took the other one," Jake finished for me. His voice was too light and unconcerned—he didn't care like I did. I was shocked at Maksim's game thought—he knew how to play. He was quite the guy.

"That wasn't my dirt-bike…it was Edward's," I informed Jake with regret in my throat.

Jacob chuckled. "Well," he said, turning to Edward. "Hopefully you didn't have a strong connection with that piece of metal—because that's all it's going to be after Maksim's through with it." Jake smiled after. I glared at him before placing my hands on the back of my neck to keep from strangling myself. I felt awful.

"Nope," Edward said finally. "But my brother might feel differently, considering it is _his_ bike."

Jacob's eyes raised before his face tried to hide a smirk. "You mean _was_," he corrected him.

Edward stared forward. I covered my face with my hands.

I didn't know how I was ever going to make it up to Edward…let alone his brother.

-x-

"What are you going to tell him?" I asked Edward, who was back to pacing the front lawn. I leaned on the side of Jacob's truck and watched his slow movements. Jacob sat in the driver's side with the radio going, his seatbelt locking him in place.

Edward responded with a simple "who-knows" shrug, but the nonchalant attitude was not there. I knew what he was feeling—ruining someone else's possession was what got me in Forks in the first place. Well, one of many reasons, I guess. "Just get it out of here Jacob," Edward finally said, his gaze finally falling in our direction.

I forced my eyes hesitantly on his. "Do you think it's still a good idea? They won't go looking for it at his place, right?" That was the last thing I wanted for Jake. He had already been nice enough to come out tonight and help us out. It would be bad if the bike just took Maksim's attention to La Push.

Edward chuckled. "Honestly I could care less at this point. As long as they don't come here looking for it, everything's worked out."

I stared into the headlights that lit up the front of Charlie's house. As much as I disagreed with Edward, I didn't have an argument. Maksim's crew showing up at Charlie's was the last thing I wanted for myself if I wanted Charlie on my side for once.

Jacob had another view. "They're rarely on La Push these days anyway. There's too much going for them in this neck of the woods. Besides, no one would dare come onto my property."

Edward laughed—for real this time. I glared at Edward, warning him to back off, but Jacob was already responding.

"What's with the laugh, champ?" Jacob asked, taking off his seatbelt.

I pushed on the truck door, making sure Jacob couldn't decide to step out of it. "Jake stop—just leave before they come back."

"Yeah _Jake_," Edward mocked.

I looked over my shoulder at Edward. His face was dangerously sharp and peered at Jake with menace. Edward was taking out his frustrations on Jacob—typical guy thing.

"I'll call you sometime Bella," Jake said when I turned back around. I ignored the chuckle behind me and nodded. Jake sighed. "See you later."

"See yeah Jake—thanks for coming out. I hope your plans weren't messed up."

He shrugged before putting the truck in reverse. "It was worth it," he said, looking in Edward's direction with a smirk. I pretended I didn't noticed and took a step back from the truck before he backed down the driveway and left.

I finally felt the chill of the night on my neck. I crossed my arms and rubbed the top of my arms, but my bare feet still felt the bite of cold from the pavement on the driveway. I looked over at the porch light, already sensing that I should be on the inside of the house instead of where I was. Charlie could be home any minute now. And as if reading my mind, Edward felt the same way.

"You should get inside. There's no telling when Charlie will be back."

I knew he was right but I didn't know what to do. I was still upset over him losing his bike—and now that I saw he wasn't taking it so well either, I didn't want him thinking I didn't see his anger. "Edward I'm so sorry about your brother's—"

"Bella don't worry about that right now."

"Don't tell me what to do." I didn't know where that came from. It just felt right to say it. "Your brother is going to kill you."

He rolled his eyes at me. I stared at him in disbelief—I didn't understand where his sudden disregard for the situation came from. I shook my head in defeat and walked towards the house, stepping onto the porch before stopping.

I spun and faced him when I realized Edward didn't have a ride home. "Edward your bike—you don't have a ride now." I pulled my fingers through my hair, frustrated with the situation even more now.

Edward walked up and stood in front of me, his eyes actually level with mine for once from my position on the step. "I texted my brother to meet me at the end of the street—not Emmett, my other one," he said quickly when he saw the look on my face. Before I could say anything, he leaned forward, took my face between his palms, and placed his lips on mine. He pulled away just as quickly. A shot ran down my spine. Edward smirked. "Sorry—you don't know how long I've wanted to do that tonight."

I pulled my arm up to his shoulder and loosely draped it across. "I think I can handle it—besides, I kind of feel bad for kicking you in the crotch earlier." I grinned and trailed up his other arm and eventually found a grip in his hair. He leaned into my touch, kind of like a dog would, and stared at me with a tilted gaze while I stared at him with a smirk. I didn't know what I was doing—I was just irritating him like he irritated me, but nothing was irritating about it. He just wound his arms around my body and let me lean on him—sometimes that's all anyone needed—until our foreheads touched, and the scene froze. I stopped yanking at his stupid hair, and started the staring contest, waiting for him to break it…

He leaned in and kissed me again.

I responded by falling off the porch-step and into his arms. My feet dangled but I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held me around the waist, our lips releasing when I smiled and had to pull away to laugh. He kissed my cheek and then found my lips again, and when I felt his cold hands on the bare skin of my lower back, I reached behind his head and yanked on his hair, which got a low, playful growl out of him. He dropped me back on the ground shortly after, but didn't move away from me. I dropped my arms from his shoulders, but I gripped the bottom of his jacket while he gripped the back of my jacket. Everything felt normal. Too normal.

I looked up at him. He looked down at me. I didn't want to ruin the moment…but I had to. "Edward, tell Emmett we'll get his bike back." His grip dropped away from me just as his face contorted in disagreement. "No, hear me out—"

"It's done. It was a crappy bike. Emmett will get over it. If he wants to deal with it, _he_ can, but you can't worry about this." I looked down but Edward reached up and touched my face. "Please don't worry Bella…" he whispered.

I looked up just as his lips came onto mine again and then pulled off just as fast. And even though he told me otherwise, I still felt the worry deep in my gut, not just for Emmett…but for myself.

I didn't tell Edward.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Alice broke the news to Emmett before I had a chance. That's why I wasn't expecting the ambush when I jogged down the driveway after leaving Bella.

Emmett appeared out of the forest and slammed into me from the right side of the driveway, catching me off guard and pinning me in under two seconds. With his grip tight around my neck and his knees on my chest, I wasn't going anywhere.

"You better hope what Alice saw was just something Alice saw and not the truth."

I couldn't respond—even if I wanted to, his grip around my neck was preventing my vocal chord from moving. He eventually figured that out and loosened his hold, but he wasn't letting me up from the ground yet.

"You're a fucking idiot Edward!" Emmett cursed, punching me in the chest. "A fucking prick! You're so stupid."

I let out a choke sound, and then tried to explain. "I wasn't paying attention—"

"No shit you weren't!" he yelled. "You shouldn't have had my bike in the first place! All because you want to impress little foster girl with fancy tricks, and then who pays in the end?—_me!_" He moved off me. I rolled over onto my stomach when I saw his foot coming my way. I let him kick me in the side—twice—before standing.

I held up my hands. "I'll buy you a new one. It's fine."

"I don't want a new one. _That one_ had sentimental value."

I couldn't help it—I laughed. He lunged at me for the second time tonight, and I was on the ground again, pinned like before. He held his fist back and threatened connecting it with my face. I held up my hands in front of my face like a school kid. "Wait—just stop. You can get it back then."

He didn't lower his fist. It stayed next to his head while he glared down at me. "I'm not getting it back. _You_ are—actually, better yet, you're little girlfriend got it stolen, so maybe I'll trade her for it—"

I pushed forward and he toppled off of me. He didn't retaliate. Neither did I. I just stared down at him. He watched me with a smug look on his face while playing images of his threat in his head. I knew he was just trying to taunt me, but even so, I still couldn't let him get away with thinking such things.

"I want my bike back," he said, standing up and brushing the nonexistent dirt off his arms. "And if you won't help me…I bet I know someone who will." His mind revealed an image of him and Bella sneaking off together into the night. As much as I wanted to pretend he wasn't bothering me, my curled fists gave me away.

"Knock it off Emmett—I get it. I'm sure your bike will turn up." I moved past him and ignored the images he continued to play in his mind.

"I swear to God Edward—do something like this again, and I'll take the most precious thing to you and hand it over to Maksim. You can count on it."

I pretended I didn't know what he was insinuating and walked into the house.

Of course, I knew I wouldn't be staying inside long now that I knew Emmett was serious about his infatuation with his stupid bike. Finding it for Emmett was the last thing I wanted to do, especially considering I couldn't stop thinking about Bella and how I wanted to be with her instead.

In the other room, Jasper groaned.

I didn't care.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

It was one-thirty in the morning when Charlie got home. His SUV pulled into the driveway after the headlights lit up my room. I didn't move off my bed—I was busy studying the paths in the picture behind my bed, tracing each one with a flashlight to etch it into my mind.

What Jacob had revealed about the picture truly intrigued me. It wasn't just any aerial view of just any forest—it was in Forks…and some of the paths were still hidden to outsiders to this day.

Well, _not anymore_.

I smirked to myself. An area to ride my dirt-bike without any interference from the outside world was a dream. Now it didn't have to be just a thought. I could find those paths—no, I _would_ find those paths. I promised myself.

"Turn off the light and go to sleep," Charlie ordered from down the hall. "You've got school tomorrow—and you're going."

I immediately flinched and fell from the bed, landing on the floor and taking half the bedding with me. I hadn't realized he had even entered the house yet—the man had light feet. It was creepy.

"Turn it off Bella…" he ordered again, referring to the flashlight that had rolled under my bed. I stared at my door in disbelief, amazed at his ability to see under door cracks. After untangling myself form the blankets and adjusting my pyjama bottoms, I crawled under the bed and retrieved the flashlight, only to hesitate for a few seconds underneath the safety of the mattress. It was a great place to hide—maybe if I was in a hell hole I'd consider it.

I crawled out of my new found hiding place and climbed back into bed, leaving the blankets on the floor. I wasn't tired one bit. My eyelids felt like they were glued to my forehead.

I wanted to watch the TV over my dresser but I knew Charlie would hear it if he had noticed a damn flashlight in my room. Instead, I pulled out my iPod from the left nightstand, and after plugging the buds into my ears, I had the music drowning me in no time.

Now all I had to do was fall asleep…and if I couldn't tonight, with my track record, there was always tomorrow at school.

I smiled and closed my eyes, even though it was pointless.

-x-

_**7:30am**_

I had already showered and stared at the dark circles beneath my eyes in the mirror for a good amount of time before Charlie banged on my door.

"What?" I yelled from my position in front of the bathroom mirror. My hair was still damp from letting it air dry and my face looked dewy from having nothing done to it but water and bar soap. I wouldn't marry me.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked.

_Food. _"Ummm…" I yelled back. That was all I could think of.

"What?" he yelled, his voice getting angry again. It was too easy to bother him.

I shook my head and held in a chuckle. "I don't want anything!" I yelled back.

He didn't respond, but I heard his footsteps stomping down the stairs. _Poor Cinderella_. He didn't bother me for another hour. I was standing in front of the full length mirror, admiring my dirty jeans and long sleeve waffle tee, when he knocked again.

"Oh my God—what?"

"Times up—you got to go. You're going to be late."

I had just finished tying my hair up when his words registered. I backed away from the mirror and opened my bedroom door. Charlie was just going down the stairs. He stopped midway, his head only in view. "Aren't you driving me?" I asked with my eyebrows crushed together.

He looked too pleased to deliver the next piece of information. My stomach was already dropping. "Nope," he said happily, popping the 'p' like a kid. "You're taking the bus."

"The bus?"

"The school bus. And the good thing about it is that if you miss it, you still have enough time to walk." He smirked after and then moved down the stairs again.

My shoulder fell onto the doorframe while my eyes zeroed into the empty space. At first I felt sick from the idea of being near so many screaming people and not being able to get out of the moving vehicle. But then after the panic went away, I realized I didn't have to be worried.

I decided to show Charlie up. I'd show him what happens when little foster Bella takes the bus...yup, I'd show him good.

I smirked before grabbing my plaid shirt off the carpet and following Charlie down the stairs to start my wonderful day of school.

_As if._

"And where is this bus picking me up at?" I asked Charlie.

He grabbed his coat from the closet. "Down the road," he said, slipping on his jacket. "You might want to grab your coat—it's raining."

I looked towards the window. Sure enough, the rain was coming down in sheets. I wanted to groan but I didn't want Charlie to win. I popped my collar instead and put my hand on the door knob.

"Here," he said, taking a black Jansport backpack from the closet.

"What's that—my lunch?" I asked with a chuckle. I took it anyway and threw it over my shoulder.

"Just some paper and pencils. Hopefully you'll make it to a class and you'll get to use them."

"Hope so," I said, faking my enthusiasm. Charlie saw through it too and then reached across me to open the door.

He signalled with his hand. "After you," he said.

I stepped into the rain without a single hesitation, and I swear I heard him chuckle.

-x-

_**Charlie Swan**_

After setting the alarm and locking the door, I watched Bella walk up the driveway without protecting her face from the rain. It hit her hard and she didn't even flinch away.

Even though I knew the game she was playing, I immediately felt regret. She had been through enough with the "imposter" investigation, and now here I was, making her take the bus.

"Bella!" I screamed to her, caving in. It had been a long night and I finally realized I wasn't being fair.

She didn't turn around. She walked straight off the driveway and down off into the distance, disappearing into the rain.

I didn't yell after her. I got into the SUV and backed down the driveway, wondering if I should follow Bella to school. I decided against it, as I was going the other way, and I trusted her…sort of. Well, I trusted her enough.

Enough is never enough, of course. Hopefully that wouldn't bite me later.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I stood at the end of the street, right next to the stop sign.

The rain had soaked through both the plaid and waffle knit tee already. The collar on the button down was no longer popped. My jeans were slicked to my thighs and already darker than when I first bought them. The holes near my knees revealed my red, raw skin. My feet sat in the puddles in my shoes. The backpack began to get heavy.

My eyes squinted through the rain. My vision was incredibly blurry. I assumed it was because of the rain—no, I _hoped_ it was because of the rain.

I wiped the water from my face and took in a deeper breath. My chest felt different—heavy and clogged—and my jaw began to ache. I began to wonder where the bus was. I wanted it to hurry up. I needed to sit down. I needed to get out of the rain. I needed to calm down—I couldn't take in a deep enough breath.

After a few seconds, I wiped my eyes again, and when my vision didn't clear, I knew it wasn't from the rain. I couldn't see clearly. My vision was going away—quite quickly too. I tried opening my eyes wider and tried peering across the road, trying to keep the image of the trees and the woods and the ditch intact, but after a few more seconds, my vision went sideways and blank.

I dropped to the ground soon after, and after a few more seconds, the sound of rain kept me awake. My vision returned after the quick blackout, but it remained much blurrier than before. I tried to find my footing, but my head pounded like the rain on the pavement, and it was such an extreme ache that it debilitated me into a lifeless position. I held onto my head and scrunched my eyes shut, my body instinctively curling into a ball.

I was frightened enough knowing that this time my mystery issues had gone to far and that I needed to seek help form Charlie, but when I heard an engine roar down the street and stop beside me, something in my gut told me I probably wouldn't have the chance…especially when I heard the voice cut through the rain.

"_Well if it isn't the little dirt-bike girl…"_ the voice taunted me from over my shoulder.

My stomach dropped from the tone alone, but when I felt a boot roll me over onto my back, something reacted inside my stomach and woke me from the pain in my head. My eyes flew open just as the pain dropped away, and I got to stare at Maksim's grinning face, his hair and black bandanna wet from the rain, his leather covered sleeve hitched around a red helmet on his hip.

But not just any red helmet…

"See something of interest?" he asked, tightening his arm around the helmet.

I leaned up onto my arm and wiped my hair away from my face. This isn't happening, I told myself, but as much as I wiped the rain fro my eyes, the dark figure remained in my vision.

"What exactly is going on with you, Bella…_Crossbones_, is it?"

I chuckled lowly and spat at the ground. I bent my right leg up to my chest and tried to use it to stand. My body immediately toppled to the right. I cursed under my breath. _What is going on…_

"Here," he said, holding out his hand to me. "I understand the influence of drugs better than the next. I won't judge—happens to the best of us. Gotta know your limit." His hand stayed in front of my face, and instead of being lame, I accepted. He pulled me to my feet, and when I stood, my body tried to go limp again, but his arms wrapped around my waist and didn't let go. He held me against his body, my face two inches from his, his hands roaming where Edward's had last night. But Maksim didn't make me feel anything special—his presence didn't feel like Edward's. If anything, his touch made the hairs on the back of my neck raise in protest, not lust.

I pulled away from him when my knees finally locked. I had the idea of just walking home and telling Charlie what had happened and asking him to take me to the ER, but when I turned my back on Maksim, he was in front of my face, his hand outstretched, just grazing my collar bone to stop me. I looked down at my feet, where off to the left, my backpack was on the ground, soaking in the rain. Some how it had come off in the fall. I looked back up at Maksim with an amused smirk. I had to give him that—he was entertaining, no doubt about it. There was no telling what he was going to do. Strangely, that made my stomach turn in anticipation, not fear. "Just let me go home, Maksim. I don't feel very well."

He smiled coyly. "I think you couldn't feel any better. There's no better high when your feet come out from under you and you're looking up at the sky."

I nodded, pretending like I knew what he was talking about. "Yeah—it's just I'm not handling it so well. I think I'm going to sleep this one off. So if you'll excuse me," I said, taking a step past him. I only made the single step forward before his hand shot out and gripped my upper arm. I looked down at his hand and then up at his face. "Let go of me, Maksim."

He smiled, but actually dropped his hand. "Please—call me Maks. It's what my friends call me. I want us to be friends."

"Maybe some other time," I said, leaning down to grab my bag. But just the little movement made my knees buckle and I was back on the ground, my hands on the pavement, my forehead an inch from the road. I scrunched my eyes shut and began to pray—just for this to be a dream. My eyes snapped open though when I felt his hands trail down my back—I jolted forward and turned just in time to land on my ass. "Hey—fuck off!" I told him, standing up quickly and taking a few clumsy steps back.

He held up his hands. "Hey—calm down. Just helping a friend out."

I chuckled humourlessly. "We're not friends."

He tiled his head to the side. I blinked away the rain. "Awww come on," he said. He took a step to the right. I looked around his body at the shiny red dirt-bike. It made me sick that Emmett's bike was so close yet so far, and I couldn't do anything about it. At least, I thought I couldn't until Maksim noticed the look on my face and stepped back in front of the bike. "Let me ask you something, Bella."

I stared over his shoulder, intent on not making eye contact again.

"You want that bike back…" His voice trailed off into the thunder in the distance. I hated thunder almost as much as I hated Maksim. "I'll give it back."

I shook my head. I knew it wasn't as easy as that.

"No?"

"What do I have to do to get it back, Maksim?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

He smiled. "Nothing too extreme…you just have to win the bike back."

He was right—it wasn't extreme. In fact, it seemed too easy. That's why I finally looked at him with a guarded glare. "_A race_. And that's it."

"Sure," he said with a shrug. "You win, you get your friend's bike back. Easy enough."

I didn't like his nonchalant attitude. It put me on edge. I knew better I questioned it immediately. "What else, Maksim? You're not telling me something."

He smiled. "You're good, Bella."

"Let's just keep it simple. I win, I get the bike back, you win, you get your bike back. Done." I thought the terms could be shook on. He didn't agree to them.

He smiled deviously. I regretted even talking to him. I should have just gone back to Charlie's. "Those terms would be great and all…_if_ I still wanted my bike back."

I sighed. I knew this was going nowhere fast.

"You see, I'm not interested in another bike—if I win, I've got a new one already." He looked over his shoulder at Emmett's bike. I held my breath to keep from cussing him out. "I'm interested in something else…"

I raised my eyebrows. "And that is?" I didn't like his dramatic monologue. He needed to spit it out before I called it quits and left.

"You win, you get your friend's bike back…and if I win…I get you."

The wind pounded into my back and the rain came in on an angle. If the weather wasn't a sign of how crazy this moment was, I could just replay what he just said. I shook my head in disbelief, smiling because I couldn't believe I had given the guy my time of day.

He wasn't done. "If I win, you come and join my crew—learn the ins and outs of what it means to be apart of my deckhands. You're different. I like that."

I was doing good until I heard the word deckhands. I couldn't hold in the laugh—I let it out and made sure to throw it back in his face. Maksim just watched me lose it over his offer. He didn't flinch or show any sign of humour. I stopped. "You're being serious right now." I didn't question it. It was obvious. The guy wanted me to join his gang—for whatever reason. It was insane. It was stupid. It was—easy. "Fine." I stared right into his eyes. "I win, I get the bike, you win, I'll try your girl-guide gang out for size—nothing permanent though."

Maksim shook his head. "No, you see that's not how it works. You're either in all the way or you're out. No dipping your toes in the water with me."

I shook my head. "Then I guess we don't have a deal."

"Come on…" He moved to the right again, revealing the bike. I couldn't help but wonder how good it would feel to return the bike back to Edward, like he had returned mine to me. "Remember Bella, your joining my crew only depends on you losing. If you win, there's no issue. You get your bike, and then you don't ever have to see me again."

I tilted my head to the side and thought about the facts. He had a point—all I had to do was win and I wouldn't have to deal with him ever again. I knew I could beat him. If I worked out the kinks in the bike, I could be crossing the finish line before anyone. I sighed. I knew I'd take him up on the offer, especially knowing that my side of the bet was more guaranteed than his—he couldn't force me against my will into his stupid little group. I'd fight back. I'd never join. It was stupid on his part.

"What do you say, Bella. In or out?" he asked, holding out his hand, palm inwards, ready to be shook.

And even though something in my gut told me to turn my back, I slowly reached out and closed my hand around his and shook three times, the rain falling between us sealing the deal. "I'm in," I told him, dropping my grip.

He smiled. "They always are," he said, turning his back to me. "See you around Bella," he said over his shoulder. "I'll let you know when the race will be—it will be out of the blue, so be ready for _any_ night."

"Sure thing, _Maksim_." I spat out his name, just because I could, and then smirked after.

He chuckled, but before getting on the bike, he said "Like I said, call me Maks." He winked after.

I shook my head. "Sorry. Only your friends call you Maks."

He smiled. "Only time will tell."

-x-


	25. KATHLEEN WILKERSON OF WILKERSON PORT

_**Disclaimer: **__Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

_**A/N: Check out the new fan art for this story on my profile. It's badass.**_

**Chapter 25: KATHLEEN WILKERSON OF WILKERSON PORT**

_**Charlie Swan**_

When I got to the office, I only sat down for two seconds and then Hank rushed into the room. Before I could ask what the hell the matter was, he dropped a portfolio onto my desk and stood on the edge of the room with his arms crossed.

"What's this?" I picked up the portfolio with caution and waited for his response. When he didn't say anything, I glared at him. "Hank?"

"It was just delivered to our front desk by the chairwoman's assistant. It's about a town hall meeting."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Town hall? You've got to be kidding." I pulled out the papers, already dreading what bullshit laws they wanted being forced now. Not to my surprise, it wasn't a declaration or anything remotely professional. The forms were barely forms at all—just a long list of signatures, all numbered from one to one hundred. "What the hell is this?" I asked before throwing the pages down onto my desk.

"The town has filed a complaint about the lack of police surveillance regarding the night watches. They have over one hundred signatures so far on a proposition for a weekday curfew and monitored safe zones for unsupervised children."

I shook my head in disbelief. "What?" I pinched the bridge of nose to try and process the crap. "Weekday curfews—are we their parents? Safe zones? I wasn't aware we were in war."

Hank tried to hide a smile.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this? There shouldn't be such thing as an unsupervised child in the first place. It's not police business. I don't come to work in the morning after pulling a double shift just for this."

Hank shrugged. "It's not on my doing, sir. Don't shoot the messenger."

"Well I've got a solution—people have kids, they have to be a damn parent! There—problem solved. We're not goddamn babysitters—" I cut myself off and covered my face with my hands. This whole moment was exactly what I hated about being an officer. People depended on me—usually the irrational were needier. But it was my job…for some reason…and if I didn't show my commanders that I deserved my title as chief, it could be taken away. Then I'd be back to uniforms and traffic patrolling.

"Well…" Hank began. "There's going to be a town meeting at the hall—maybe you can bring up your suggestions to the people paying your bills."

I lifted my head up and glared at him. He was the only man in the station allowed to talk to me like that. We had been through enough that he had the right. But that didn't mean I didn't chew him for it. "I pay my own goddamn bills, Hank—"

"I know, I'm just playing with you boss." He straightened his shoulders and smirked. I watched his face with a blank gaze. He shook his head and chuckled. "You need some fun—what happened to the good ol' times? Where's the Charlie I knew from the boot camp days? Even he wasn't as to the books as the guy I'm staring at today."

I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for his same old song and dance. He knew the real reasons why I wasn't the same—well not the _real_ reasons, but almost. "Hank if you had my status, you'd be taking things just as serious as me. It must be nice to get to sit in the passenger seat and not drive anywhere."

He laughed. "Ouch boss—but it's okay. I'm just looking forward to your speech."

I stared at him. "Speech?"

He smiled. "How else are you going to inform the town at the meeting about your new ideas for straightening up the rampant juveniles?"

I sighed and shook my head. He was killing me. "Rampant juveniles—_there's_ a topic I know too much about." My mind immediately drifted to Bella walking up the driveway, her back to me, the rain washing her away. I swallowed the dry air building up in my mouth.

"How is that kid of yours?" Hank asked. "Still breathing?" He chuckled for only a second before his breath caught and he understood his misstep. I didn't take any offence—he was only poking fun—but he still apologized immediately. "Jesus I didn't mean it like that—"

"Hank, knock it off. It's fine." I stood up from my chair and stretched. "And yeah—she's doing alright. Although I think she's mad at me."

He was already over the moment. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

I smiled. "I made her take the bus today."

Hank shook his head. "Charlie…"

I nodded. "I know."

Hank finally laughed. "I can't imagine what it's like having you as a father—" he cut himself off again, but before he could say anything else, I raised my hands.

"I said it's okay. I wouldn't want me as a father either. I'm terrible. She hates me."

Hank's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Here," I picked up the portfolio. "I don't have time for this. Give this to one of the new guys—tell them to pick up patrolling in the evenings. That way we'll be able to tell the folks we're improving before they eat us alive at the town hall."

Hank nodded. "Sure thing boss," he said, accepting the portfolio and leaving the room. When he shut the door, I walked over to the window and watched the pouring rain hit the trees behind the building, and no doubt drenching Bella.

I sighed. _She probably does hate me._

-X-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

The bus came just as Maksim disappeared. It stopped right in front of me and I got on like nothing even happened.

"Hi there," I said, nodding at the bus driver when he closed the door behind me. He was completely bald but had a dark grey beard touching his chest. A cigarette was in his mouth but it wasn't lit. He only looked at me for a second before turning to the road and hitting the gas. I grabbed onto the top of the first seat on the right and swore. "Jesus—okay." I tried to walk down the aisle like I wasn't having difficulty, but when the driver put on his brakes to make a right turn, I flew back and landed in an empty seat on the left side of the bus. I adjusted myself and pulled my hair out of my eyes. That's when I finally got a look around. My eyes squinted at what I saw.

The bus was empty.

It wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me again or my mind blacking out—there was no one on the bus. It was just me. Alone. I looked up at the huge rear view mirror in front of the bus driver's face. It was tilted so that I could see his forehead and his grey eyes. He looked up at me when he felt my eyes on him but then quickly looked back at the road. I sat up in my seat. "Excuse me?" I asked from six rows behind him. The radio was on extremely low—for his ears only apparently—yet he still insisted my voice wasn't loud enough to reach his ears. I moved to the edge of my seat, right on the aisle, and lifted my hand. "Hey—bus driver?" I yelled, waving my hand.

His eyes caught the mirror again, but this time, they stayed frozen on my face. His stare made me regret interrupting his driving. But before I could take it back and apologize, he was correcting me. "It's Gary," he said without moving his lips.

I lowered my hand lamely back down next to me and looked to my right at my neighbour that didn't exist. I wanted to sink down in my seat, but I had a question. "Sorry Gary," I said lowly, crunching my back molars together in regret.

He shrugged.

I perked up. He could hear me loud and clear. I didn't feel bad anymore—he was just as much of an ignorant asshole as I was. Suddenly, I felt right at home. Well…as home as a foster kid could feel. "Gary," I said his name without raising my voice. His eyes flashed to the mirror and then away. I realized that meant he was listening. "Was I the first stop?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Second last."

I leaned back in my seat. "Wow." That was all there was to say. I looked behind me one more time, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but sure enough, I was the only loser on the bus. I didn't understand it. I couldn't be the only one without parents who didn't give them four wheels to drive to school with.

I didn't worry about it. Maybe I would be lucky enough to see the school as bare as the bus system. _That_ would be lucky. I sighed and pondered the thought a little longer, scooting over towards the window and leaning my head against the glass. The rain outside continued to slam against the window, but at least it wasn't slamming me in the face like before.

I kept my head planted in the same position when the bus rolled to a stop and the doors opened. Apparently I _wasn't_ the only loser taking the bus. _How charming. _I didn't have interest in seeing who was joining me on the magical ride, that is until I heard a voice greet Gary, and him actually respond.

"Good Morning Kathleen," Gary said lowly.

I immediately looked up over the seat, shocked that Gary had spoken to someone else and not me. But when I saw the girl…something in me had a change of heart. I didn't feel jealous all the sudden. Her unthreatening appearance melted my cold heart.

"Oh—hello," the redhead said, shocked to see another person on the bus. Before seeing me she had taken a step into the first row, but after discovering she didn't have to be so alone, she quickly adjusted herself to the seat directly in front of my own. Gary didn't move an inch forward until she was fully situated. I didn't understand his prejudices, but I didn't dare question them. She looked like the type of kid teachers let sit on their knee. With once glance I already knew how charmingly innocent she was.

"Yeah hi," I said before adjusting my eyes back out the window. I had no intentions of making friends on my first day of school, especially with someone _like her_. She looked like she needed a babysitter by the looks of her French braided hair and lightly dusted freckles—to young to ride the bus. And her green rain jacket…enough said. She and I weren't made from the same thread. In fact, I believe she was woven with the purest silks, whereas someone went out to the back field and made me out of old, barbed wire.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd get to ride the bus with someone else," she said as if she had just climbed a mountain. She was out of breath and looked up at the ceiling of the bus like she was reading a script there. I looked away from the window and looked up there too, but it was only metal. "Are you new—well of course you are!" she said. "Duh." She banged her hand against her forehead.

I smiled without showing my teeth, my eyebrows rising just because they could. I hoped that would be enough of an answer, but apparently, she wasn't done.

"Where are your things?" she asked, sitting up a bit higher in the seat and placing her chin on the back of her seat. Her eyes looked beside me and then at my face.

I didn't know what she was talking about until I felt that my back was pressed right against the seat. _My backpack_. Only _I_ would manage to lose something so quickly in the shortest amount of time. I hesitated and then decided to play with her a little. "I can't afford it—I'm a foster kid. I wish I had nice things, but I just don't." I shrugged and then looked out the window. But out of the corner of my eye, I still saw her starting to react. My eyes moved back to her face. She looked horror-struck from my news. Her face held guilt, which immediately put the regret in my stomach. _Stupid idea. So stupid!_ And then for whatever reason…I knew I couldn't let her go on.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea…" she whispered, her voice failing and dropping into the rumbling of the engine.

I cringed internally. I knew I had to fix it. I was no better than the people who picked on me. "Just kidding," I said quickly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, the relief almost there but not.

"Well, sort of. I _am_ a foster kid, but I'm a…" I didn't know where I was going with this. "_Fortunate one_," I finished. In my head, the choir of hecklers laughed at my expense. I joined them—it was ridiculous.

She pulled her hand up to her chest and leaned away from her new chin rest. "Oh!" she said, finally catching her breath. "You're good!" she said before laughing the strangest laugh I had ever heard. I nodded and tried not to smile at her laugh, and when I saw Gary glaring at me from his mirror, I knew I couldn't let myself slip. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm not used to being around jokers. My family is strict—I never get a good chance to laugh."

I held up my hands. "It's okay—sorry, what was your name?" Had she told me? I couldn't remember.

She smiled and held out her hand over the seat to me. "Kathleen Wilkerson, descendent of the Wilkerson Port, famous for the red sands and salty seas."

My eyes widened at her declaration of independence. _Now that's a name._ I couldn't imagine having a heritage like that. I barely remembered my initials on a good day. Her hand dangled for a few seconds in front of my face, waiting in anticipation. It reminded me of Maksim's, only this hand was harmless, pure white with chipping aqua nail polish and had enough bangles around the wrist to start a line of jewellery in a corner boutique.

"And you are?" she asked, eyeing me with a smirk.

And even though I didn't want to, I took her hand and said "Bella Crossbones."

Kathleen Wilkerson of Wilkerson Port smiled and shook my hand with as much enthusiasm as one would think a girl with that much sparkly decoration would have. And with every shake of her wrist, the metals and plastics of her jewellery clanked together, creating a chime that only she could appreciate. "Nice to meet you, Bella Crossbones. I know we're going to have a great time riding the bus together."

I smiled nicely before she flipped back around excitedly and then joined me in my seat. I kept my eyes forward until I saw Gary's amused face, his eyes peering out onto the street, no longer a sharp grey, but much softer.

I turned to the window and pretended I was Bella Crossbones of Empty Seat Way, famous for the lonely leather lands and wet-window skies. But even though I wasn't too pleased with my new sidekick, I swear the rain fell a little bit lighter against the glass.

Strangely, I didn't feel sick anymore.

This day was already too much.

-x-

"I don't get out much," Kathleen admitted over lunch.

Even without my backpack, the day had gone as expected so far. Lame teachers. Horrible subjects. Weird people with scarves and drawn on eyebrows. I stayed away from those monsters and hugged the walls of every classroom I entered until the lunch bell rang. Then PEI sands—or whatever she was called—grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a lunch line. After telling her foster kids didn't do lunch lines because foster kids didn't have money, she begged me to wait for her, which I did because I'm _that girl _now, and then we both walked her tray over to a table in the middle of the cafeteria. I refused to sit near so many people and then we moved over to a more private one near the windows where the sun would pour through if there were such thing in Forks.

"I just don't fit in here—I think you know where I'm coming from?" she asked before she opened the plastic top to her salad.

I could stand her if she wouldn't go where I didn't want her to go. But she was a friendly human being…and friendly human beings believed that talking about things _cured_ things. _Ridiculous._ I tried to beat around the bush, the bush being Kathleen judging from her now fuzzy, red hair stringing from her braids. Rain wasn't friendly to anyone. "Didn't you say you were from the sea or something…" I stared down at her food while she poured a small packet of salad dressing onto her salad. She poured it over the lettuce quite slowly and then when I thought she was done, she pulled a lunch box—_a lunch box_—out of her backpack and then took out a tall container from a zippered section.

My eyes widened when I saw that it was more salad dressing. She quickly drizzled it over her salad and then put it back into her green lunch box.

I was disgusted. Not because of her strange food addiction, but from something else. I felt like if I even watched her eat that I would throw up on her. I guess my face showed my true feelings for what was going on in my head, because she suddenly put the top back on her salad and started apologizing. "I'm sorry—I just don't think there's ever enough dressing in those little packets the salad comes with." Her eyes stayed low but they didn't move from the salad. She was hungry.

"Kathleen _eat_," I told her. "Don't be…a girl."

She tiled her head up to me. "A what?"

I wanted to bang my head on the table. "A girl."

She didn't understand. Her face stayed blank.

"It means…lame." This wasn't a conversation I thought I'd ever have. Actually, I never thought I'd even have a conversation today—_especially_ with someone so nice and so _not me_. She probably pissed gold. I was lucky if I pissed at all these days.

Kathleen was still in the dark over my nonsense logic. That's why she was still looking at me funny. "Lame? Being a girl is lame?" she asked.

There was no getting around this. She was tragically boxed in and I was tragically rude. "Never mind—just eat your lunch. It's fine. I'm just a jerk. Ignore me."

She shook her head but grabbed her salad and opened it back up. "You're not a jerk," she said before taking a bite of her salad. My stomach turned but I ignored it. "And I don't want to ignore you…I…" She hesitated. I waited. "I want us to be _friends_."

My gaze hardened onto a stain on the surface of the table. _Friends._ I didn't know what that word meant. It wasn't something my brain recognized. I didn't have friends. I was solo for reasons like this—for people like this. I wasn't a crutch. I didn't need her—pssf, I was fine. I liked being alone. Yeah, I loved it…

Like before, she immediately read the dread across my face and then shoved her salad back into her lunch box and then began to get up. "I'm sorry—that was stupid."

I held up my hands. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down—where you going?" I stood up with her and then it was just a big stare down. Her lunch bag was still on the table and her backpack was still hung over her chair, just like it probably was in elementary school…and junior high…and high school. "Just sit down. You didn't do anything wrong."

She wouldn't look at me but she did sit back down. And then she got her food back out again and then started eating for the hundredth time today.

"I don't get out much either," I told her, trying to rekindle that connection that was so obviously not there between us.

She caught the lie immediately. "Ha ha, _very_ _funny_," she said before flipping her braid off her right shoulder. She no longer had her green coat on, but that didn't mean she left the ruffles at home. There were layers of material all over her shoulders and down through her chest. It was one complicated design. "You're too cool to not have a social life," she said lowly, keeping her fork in her salad too long.

I laughed—I couldn't help it. No one had ever called me cool before. And for the first time in my life I think I had received a genuine, down to earth compliment. I was flattered and that's why I cleared my throat. "Well…" I said lowly. "You don't _know me_." I had never said something so truthful in my life. "I may wear damp, ugly boy plaid…and I may have messy, wet hair—"

"Oh but your hair is amazing—"

"Kathleen." She was unbelievable. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I may _look_ cool…" Even the idea made me want to smile but I wouldn't. "But I'm _not_. I'm _so_ not. Cool kids do well in school without studying. Cool kids have friends without trying. Cool kids care but make it look like they don't. I don't have _any_ of that. I may not study, but I have the grades to match. I don't try to get friends—and that's why I don't have any. And I don't care…and it shows…_that's_ what you see, and it's not cool…it's just _ignorance_."

Kathleen stayed still in her seat. Her eyes drifted on and off my face, and then she was nodding like a dazed hospital patient receiving terrible news. But the news wasn't entirely terrible to her. She had a look on her face that told me what I had said took a little weight off her back. _That_ made me smile. Strangely, I didn't want her to feel flattened by other people. I knew what that was like. I wanted her to recognize the smoke and mirrors like I had. But while I watched her face, I realized her gaze was now over my shoulder looking at something else. And whatever else it was had slowly turned her eyes wide.

"What is it now—" I was about to look over my shoulder until she snatched my arm and gripped me in place. I looked at her like she was a crazy person—because she was acting like one—and then I ripped my arm away from her. "What the hell is the matter with you," I said without questioning the crazy in front of me. Her eyes were no longer wide. In fact, they wouldn't even look up from the table. All her attention was back to her salad, yet she didn't take a single bite.

She spoke lowly. "Don't look now," she said, "but they're headed right for us."

Without a single thought I turned in my chair and scanned the area. Kathleen gave another hushed plea behind me to turn around, but when I saw the fleet of girls in triangle formation headed down the aisle…something in me itched.

I quickly turned around. "Who are those three?" I asked, taking another look over my shoulder before looking back at Kathleen. She still wouldn't look up from her salad. I banged my hand on the table and she flipped her gaze up to mine. "Why are you afraid of them?"

She shrugged. "They're nice enough, I guess, it's just me…" Her voice took a wrong turn and got lost in her thoughts.

I shook my head. "No it's not," I said. "It's _them_." I turned back around in my seat to stare at the girls now only five feet away. The one in the middle had her blonde hair pulled back so tight that her eye brows were pushed off to the side of her head and her lips were pouting for oxygen to get to her brain. I smirked to keep from laughing and that's when one of her followers tapped ponytail girl on the shoulder and pointed me out. Her head slowly but surely tilted my way, and when her purple contacts found my face, I cocked an eyebrow at her and finally let out a laugh.

Out of the corner of my eye, Kathleen shifted in her chair. I turned back to her, and that's when she said "Oh boy, you've sure done it now."

I waved her off, but when I finally stopped chuckling I noticed three bodies had moved right up beside me, and _none_ of them were moving. I tilted my head up and smiled. "How's it goin'?" I asked the pony girl.

She smiled back just as pleasantly. "Lovely—are you new?" she asked, crossing her arms before taking a few sideways glances at the soldiers still flanking her sides.

I nodded. "Yup. Kathleen's been showing me around," I said, nodding towards the redhead who no longer had any self-confidence or backbone to hold her head up on. She stared at the table and pretended her salad was more important.

One of the girls to the pony girl's left burst out laughing, and then the other did as well. Then the pony girl said "Better look for a different tour guide—she'll lead you right back to the library every time."

When that girl laughed, every hair on the back of my neck rose in irritation. But my stomach dropped when I looked over at Kathleen and saw the tear roll down the side of her red cheek before she quickly wiped it away. _That's_ when I had to look at the table and search for some strength to do what I was about to do next…

I laughed with them.

Kathleen's head slowly looked up at me and then back down in defeat at her salad, but I ignored it because the leader smiled at me and offered me to join them at their table in the middle of the cafeteria. It was everything and more that I needed.

That's why I declined. "You know, thank-you, but I'm probably just going to leave now. I'm done lunch as it is."

The girl nodded. "I'd loose my lunch too if I sat with someone with that many ruffles on her chest." She glared at Kathleen and then walked a row down from us, and three rows towards the center of the cafeteria.

I looked away from them and at Kathleen. Her head was now a bit straighter but her eyes stayed glued to the table. She was slowly packing up her things back into her bag. I reached across the table and grabbed her arm like she had to me. She flinched before her eyes found mine. "I'm sorry—" she began, but I cut her off.

"_Don't say that_," I hissed lowly. "If you learn one thing today," I said before taking a quick look over my shoulder at the fleet of girls and then back at her, "never, _ever_ say you're sorry. _Ever._ You hear me?"

She didn't understand, but she nodded like she did, and then I dropped her arm.

"Pass me your lunchbox."

She looked at me wearily but pulled it out from her bag again and handed it to me slowly. I opened it quickly and only rummaged through it for a second before pulling out a can of tomato juice.

"Tomato juice?" I asked, holding up the can. "Really Kathleen?"

She shrugged innocently. "It's really good for you."

I nodded. "Well, if that's the case…" I glanced over my shoulder at the girls. They were off in their own little world, standing around a table, laughing with some boys and touching each other's hair. My fist tightened around the can. "Watch and learn, Kathleen," I said, turning back around and catching her gaze finally.

She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She knew what I was going to do when I cracked the pop open and grinned like a crazy son-of-a-bitch. I raised my eyebrows and caught her mouth twitch before I launched the pop over my left shoulder like a rocket leaving home base. I quickly adjusted my body to stare straight ahead like a good, nonchalant student enjoying her cafeteria meal, and Kathleen quickly shot her gaze back down to the table. But when I heard the wild cursing…

The target was a success.

"Kathleen, would you like to go somewhere a bit quieter?" I asked with a smile. "It's suddenly a bit louder in here."

She perked up. "How about the library?"

I didn't hide my unimpressed look well. "How about…no." I stood up and grabbed her lunchbox off the table and shoved it into her bag for her. "Take your bag and follow me," I instructed her.

I knew it was too late when I felt the hit to the back of my shoulder and then saw the red spray cover our table and then Kathleen's face. She screamed like the innocent girl she was—I turned in slow motion in the thrower's direction.

What I saw, I didn't see coming.

I had expected to see three angry girls covered in red happily content with their retaliation…but instead, I saw a group of boys wiping red off their faces, and the last person I ever wanted to see sitting at the head of the table, covered in red.

Maksim.

-x-

"You hit Maksim Smirnov right in the face with a can of tomato juice."

It was now the end of the day. Kathleen and I had fled the cafeteria before he could chuck a chair or a table in our direction, and we ended up skipping our classes for the rest of the day. We hid in the last place Maksim would look for us.

The library.

It made me sick just thinking about how right that pony girl had been, but it made me more sick just knowing how much _more_ fucked I was with Maksim.

"Why didn't you tell me they moved?" I asked Kathleen when we got back onto the bus. Even though we had already been over it one hundred times, I still wasn't over it. "Friends don't let friends look stupid."

Kathleen smiled. "We're friends?" she asked. She then grabbed my arm and began shaking it. "Oh thank-you! I can't wait to have you over for supper!"

I couldn't say anything. I just let her lead us to the same seat we had met at, and when Gary glared at me, I nodded. "Yeah," I said lamely. "Can't wait."

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

"She threw a can of juice at Maksim's face..."

"Well I guess she didn't mean to, but that's definitely what happened—hit him right in the kisser," Jasper said before bursting out laughing.

I stayed sitting on the couch and pretended to be interested in the TV while I watched his mind recall the incident. From his position in the cafeteria, he had seen every smirk play across Bella's face as she taunted the students and ended up taunting the one person she shouldn't. And judging by the look of dread that had played across her face when she saw Maksim…she knew she had made a mistake.

I turned the TV off when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey—I was watching that," Jasper complained.

I threw the flicker at him and left the room. I still didn't understand why he let her run off. He should have followed her—I would have. Now she could be anywhere—with Maksim right behind her.

"Would you calm down," Jasper yelled form the other room. "She got back on the bus with her little friend."

I stopped moving and tilted my head up. "What?" I said lowly, knowing he could hear me.

Jasper continued just as lowly in the other room. "I saw her getting on the bus at the end of the day with her friend." Jasper played what he had seen earlier this afternoon and I watched. Like he had said, Bella was still in one piece and now following around the last person I'd ever expect her to notice.

_A Wilkerson…_

"Is that a Wilkerson?" I knew it was. Hair _that_ red only belonged to one family of the same goddamn Port. And when I heard Jasper laugh, I knew there was no doubt about it—Bella had made one more misstep in the small town of Forks.

"She sure knows how to pick them, eh Edward?" Jasper asked behind me. I didn't turn around. I was frozen in place, my eyes glaring at the wall. I didn't know how to process my worries. "It's like she's a damn magnet for pointing out the town's flaws. First she meets you, the stalker vampire, than she meets that werewolf—enough said there—and now she meets a Wilkerson, famous for their wandering eyes and observant ears."

"I get it, thank you."

He laughed. "Well, Charlie said he wanted to keep her as far from turning as possible, did he not?"

I didn't answer him.

"He might just get his wish—and his kid taken from him. They still have a grudge with him, do they not? Imagine when they actually have proof of what they already think they know about us…"

I shook my head. "It's just a Wilkerson girl…she's not her parents."

Jasper shrugged. "Yet. She's got two ears and two eyes—that's all a spy needs."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn't know how to deal with Jasper. He was doing a great job of putting an itch on my skin.

"Now not only do you have Charlie to get through to talk to Bella…you're gonna have the Wilkerson clan on your ass blocking you too if they find out what she is."

"They're not going to—"

"And when they do, they'll call you out, and she'll be on their side…and she'll be human forever."

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

Charlie was home when I got off the bus. He didn't greet me when I entered through the house. He just let me be. It kind of bothered me a little—I had wanted to tell him about Maksim and my…issues. But since he was busy with his work, I decided I didn't need to talk about anything. In fact, I was kind of sick of talking thanks to Kathleen Wilkerson of Wilkerson Port.

I stayed up in my room and tried to do everything but think about the events of the cafeteria, or let alone the whole day. I tried watching YouTube, but then that got boring, and then I tried watching TV, but the channels were fuzzy from the rain pounding down on the satellite dish outside the house.

I didn't have to wait for something else to happen for long—Charlie called me down for supper. I was almost relieved. Almost.

I grabbed my plate off the counter as soon as I entered the kitchen wearing ratty sweatpants and Edward's hoodie. Instead of heading to the table, I sat across from Charlie at the island. He had his head down and was busy typing on his laptop.

"What Bella?" he asked suddenly without looking up.

I smiled. "How'd you know I was looking at you?"

He looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Well, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Just wondering why we can't have a normal family sit down meal—you never eat with me." I didn't care that I had eaten alone almost every night and morning that I had been here so far, and I knew he knew that too when he rolled his eyes back down to his screen. I even let myself chuckle a little just as I took a big bite from the hot dog he had made me. I chewed the tasteless food with little interest and then swallowed—

I pushed myself away from the island and let the bar stool tip behind me just as I felt my throat close over behind the food. It happened in a blink of an eye—in fact, that's how quick Charlie's reaction was. I barely had time to realize I wasn't choking on food before he flew around the island—I hadn't even seen him—and was in front of me in a panic. I wasn't sure what colour my face was, but his was painted in fresh worry and anger—well, fear, I guess. For me.

I could have smiled if he wasn't yelling into my face. "Are you choking?" he screamed into my face as he held me by the shoulders.

I struggled to get in air, but there was no space for my throat to take in anything—it was clogged, like it had shut on its own. I kept my hands on my throat, choking for air, and even though I shook my head, he turned me around and started the Heimlich Manoeuver.

My throat immediately opened on the first 'j' motion, but no food flew up and out. I immediately gulped in oxygen and cursed out loud while Charlie asked me repeatedly if I was okay and what had happened.

"What do you think happened—I choked on that damn hot dog," I told him immediately to hide my panic. I backed away from Charlie's accusing eyes, scared from his concentrated face. I knew he had seen me swallow that damn hot dog perfectly fine before my throat closed over, and he knew something was up...

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked.

I wouldn't look at him. "I'm fine," I told him, even though I felt the dread deep in my throat still, and why it was there.

I wasn't choking for air…I was choking _on_ air.

How normal.

-x-


	26. OVER YOUR HEAD

_**Disclaimer: **__Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**_A/N: Re-uploaded chapter because users said that it did not reach their inboxes. Please let me know if you received this chapter in your e-mail._**

**Chapter 26: OVER YOUR HEAD**

"Maybe you should sit down—"

"And what? Finish eating?—hell no," I spat back.

"I didn't say that…" Charlie's eyes were still on me watching every cautious step I took away from him. I felt incredibly insecure all the sudden and I swear the walls were jumping out at me. To avoid the awkwardness, I leaned down to pick up the barstool I had knocked over. He quickly jumped in. "You don't have to do that," he told me before grabbing one end of the stool.

"I got it," I hissed like a bitch, yanking the stool away from him.

He showed me his palms in the air, like I was backing him into a corner. "Okay…okay…" His voice fell into the dark silence.

I mocked his surrendering voice. "_Okay, okay_," I hissed before slamming the stool into its upright position and then leaving the kitchen in a daze.

The walls looked like they stretched out so much taller and the hardwood floors felt especially cold as I walked down the hall.

I was scared of everything—and that had to be why my vision picked up every damn fleck of dust dancing in the evening sunset that was streaming through the windows. I didn't understand my eyes, so I followed the hall to the east wing, where it opened to a tall ceiling room with two story windows that showed the back forest. The rain had finally settled onto the leaves and the trunks of the trees were especially wet, which the setting sun noticed right away.

I walked right up to the foggy glass and got lost in the detail of the forest and the falling sun. Time stood on its locked knees—much like my own—and showed me how the clouds cleared only long enough to let the sun finally dip away and disappear, like all things in life. A fresh sheet of rain began just as it left off—and that's when my forehead touched the glass in amazement. I could see the drops of rain fall single file through the sky and down onto the leaves, almost like they weren't traveling in packs.

I pulled my head away from the glass in astonishment when I saw the black sky speckled with shiny dots and the fullest moon coming up over the trees…

It was night.

Where had the sun gone? When had the sky turned? Why were the stars out so early—it was only supper time, not night time…

I backed away from window with a quick step, only to knock into a glass coffee table and fall over it. My back hit the seat cushions of a leather couch, where one leg stayed propped against the coffee table, the other falling onto the cherry wood floors.

I felt like I was in a dream, so I stared up at the ceiling in a daze, and that's where I noticed the ceiling fan spinning and spinning and spinning…

And then the room was spinning…

And then Charlie was standing over me, spinning like the ceiling fan, going around and around and around…

It all stopped when he put his hand over my forehead and said "Bella it's going to be okay."

My eyes cleared long enough to see the moonlight revealing the worry in his own eyes…and then the tint of _red_…

I screamed just as the ceiling fan began to spin again, and then a black cover of darkness flew across the room and knocked my head back, where my eyes closed in conclusion.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

"What do you know about Kathleen Wilkerson?"

Alice chuckled before showing me an image of a sad girl sitting on a park bench all alone.

"Come on Alice, what do you _really _know about her?—aside from your _misjudgement_."

"Misjudgement? Edward I don't have time for this—"

"No, you know what I mean!" I tugged at the sleeves of my t-shirt and fidgeted with my belt buckle. She stayed leaning on the wall, waiting for Rosalie to come down from her room so they could go to a late night movie. "Besides the _rumours_…what do you know about her?"

Alice chuckled. "What rumours are we talking about?"

I shrugged. "Aren't they all the same?"

Alice shook her head before rolling her eyes, "Oh boy, you're in over your head."

"What is it Alice?"

"Nothing."

I gritted my teeth. "Tell me."

"It's nothing!"

"No it's not—"

"Yes it is! That's the problem! Kathleen Wilkerson is the most harmless girl on the planet, and the fact that you don't acknowledge that tells me you're way too involved with Bella to see it. You're being overprotective."

I chuckled. "There's no such thing as _overprotective_ when it comes to dealing with a hybrid."

Alice disagreed. "See it from my stand point. You're asking me if Kathleen Wilkerson—the same Kathleen Wilkerson who lives in libraries and takes the bus to school—is someone to look out for. How is that _not_ overprotective?"

I covered my face with my hands. She was right.

"You know I'm right."

I did.

"The only bad rep Kathleen has is from snotty girls and mean boys. They put her at the bottom of the food chain, and honestly, I don't think she minds it down there."

I nodded. "But what about her parents—they have their own suspicions."

Alice shrugged. "You know as much as I do about them. They're a shady family line. Always have been—"

"Always will be," I finished.

She shook her head. "Kathleen isn't shady. You can read her like a book that she checks out of a library. She's just a shy, booky,_ friendly_ teenager."

"That's the problem."

"What is?"

"What is it about Bella—the most frustratingly, unfriendly, rude, dark girl alive—that made Kathleen think she could _ever_ talk to her, let alone be _friends_ with her? But the even stranger thing is that Bella talked _back_ to Kathleen and didn't run in the other direction. They're not supposed to get along. They're not the same person. _At all_."

Alice was already smiling while I talked, but by the time I finished, she was laughing. I glared at her, not understanding what her problem was. I was genuinely mystified by the situation, but Alice didn't take it seriously.

"What's your problem?" I asked her. "I'm being serious. Bella and Kathleen shouldn't mix."

"You don't see it—they're the _exact_ same."

Now I was the one laughing. "_Kathleen Wilkerson_ _is no Bella Crossbones_—I can tell you that much. They're not made from the same…_whatever_."

Alice was still smiling. "Oh Edward, who would have thought you'd judge a book by its cover. They may not look the same, and hell, they may not have the same words written on their pages, but Kathleen Wilkerson and Bella Crossbones are both lost in circulation, just _waiting_ for their chance to be read and _understood_."

I held back a laugh.

Alice shrugged. "Go ahead, Edward, _laugh_. But I bet you any amount of money that those two are exactly what the other needs, and then you'll just be the boy next door, replaced by the girl of Wilkerson Port.

I stopped smiling.

-x-

By the time the girls left, the sun had already gone down, and Emmett was biting at the bit to go hunting.

"It's been too long since you've been hunting—what are you trying to do, prove something to us?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm fine."

Jasper shook his head. "You shouldn't be around that girl if you're not feeding—you know that."

"Thank you for your concern, but I can worry about myself."

"I wish that were the case, but you usually get into other people's business instead of your own."

I tilted my head up to see Carlisle now in the kitchen throwing his two cents in my direction as usual. I shook my head to wave him off, holding in the urge to roll my eyes. I stood up off the bar stool instead, planning on leaving the kitchen. "I don't know what's with everyone tonight—so touchy."

Before anyone could throw in a response, the phone rang. Carlisle grabbed the phone off the dial and Emmett and Jasper left through the side door to the garage, their plans for hunting going on without me. I stayed frozen in my previous spot, my eyes on Carlisle as he reacted to the voice on the other end. I listened to his mind and I swear the hairs on the back of my neck could have risen from the news.

_You need to come over—she's not doing well. She nearly choked to death tonight, and now she's passed out and she won't wake up. I don't even think she's breathing…_

I don't know how I had gotten the phone in my hand, but out of nowhere, Carlisle had been slammed into the counter, and the phone was at my ear. "We'll be over in two minutes," I yelled before hanging up and throwing the phone down on the counter.

Carlisle grabbed the back of my shirt and tried to pull me back from moving towards the garage side door, but I yanked away from him and was out of the house before he could say otherwise.

I was going to see Bella…and no one could stop me.

-x-

I ran up Charlie's lawn and went to run through the door but ended up smashing into it instead.

The door was locked.

"Charlie!" I yelled, banging on the door as hard as I could. I peered through the strip of window along the side of the door and saw Charlie lurking at the end of the hallway, his eyes glowing in the dark in my direction. "Let me in!" I yelled as I waved at him. "You _know_ I'll break it down."

Carlisle came up behind me suddenly and pushed me out away from the window. "Move Edward, you're not needed here."

I shoved him back, but it did nothing in regaining my position at the window. He peered through the glass and got Charlie to move towards the door. I told myself that as soon as the door cracked open that I would jump in. Instead of that happening, Charlie peered through the window and waved at me to back off.

I shook my head. "I'm coming in," I said before crossing my arms to keep from punching through the window.

Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know how much more difficult you're making this, Edward?"

"Oh please, don't give me that. My being here is fine—" I cut myself off when I heard the lock in the door turn, and the moment I saw the handle move I lunged for the door. I fell into the opening and landed on the ground when Charlie jumped on top of me and held me to the floor.

"Carlisle she's in the east wing," he said, struggling to keep a hold of me.

"Let me go—"

"No, I need to talk some sense into you first—stop moving and I might consider letting you in."

I cringed when I saw Carlisle step calmly into the house and walk past us. He didn't deserve to be near her—but I knew Charlie was serious about making a point, so I obeyed him. As long as he thought I was on his side, maybe I had a chance at seeing her. "Fine Charlie—I'm fine. You can let go."

"Not until you know the ground rules," he said, still pinning me to the floor.

I sighed when I heard Carlisle pacing in the other room. "Fine, let's hear them."

"First of all, tonight isn't going to be a regular thing—"

"Well I hate to break it to you Charlie, but she's transitioning."

"Thank you, I would never have figured that out." The sarcasm didn't bother me. I had other issues to worry about. "I'm referring to your need to swoop in every time she gets a paper cut."

"Paper cut is hardly the term—"

"Edward, you're not listening. You can't keep coming over here in this manor. I told you the first night she arrived here that this wasn't something you were going to be involved in. And now that I let you have an inch, you're taking a mile. You're getting yourself in _way_ over your head. "

I didn't know why people felt the need to tell me that. It wasn't true. I was clear headed and well above sea level. I was Bella's friend…not her only friend now apparently…but one that cared about her…_a lot_. "It's difficult for me to not jump to worse case scenario…because I know what's going on in her body—her mind, that is—and I know the pain…"

Charlie dropped his hands off of me and stood up. "I forget that sometimes…but it doesn't make me trust you." He hesitated for words next. "I know we had our so-called reconciliation…but that was more for Bella's sake than your own. If I think that anything is going on between you two…anything that doesn't benefit her well-being…"

I knew what he wanted to hear. "You'll kill me?"

He nodded before walking away from me.

I knew Charlie wasn't joking. It wasn't the first threat of this kind towards me. And I probably wouldn't have followed him into the darkness of his home if it wasn't for the fact that I still wanted to see Bella.

I followed him to the east wing that opened into the large sitting area. Charlie walked to the far side of the room where the large windows let in enough moonlight to show Carlisle leaning over Bella.

I stopped on the edge of the room, too scared to move forward.

"Tell me again what happened, Charlie?" Carlisle asked. He still stood over her but held his gaze between Charlie and myself, cautious as usual. I ignored Carlisle's gaze and stared into the moonlight that lit up the contours of Bella's face. I swear her face looked different—more defined in the darkly lit room—and her eyelids looked heavy, like she was just in a very deep sleep. I used that thought to calm me down, even though I knew that wasn't what was going on. _At all_.

Charlie spoke up. "Like I said, we were having supper—well, _she _was having supper…" His voice trailed into his thoughts, and I couldn't look into them. I saw Bella struggling with air, and then his thoughts took a strange turn into his own demons, where his wife's coffin was being lowered into the ground. Charlie couldn't handle anything stressful, and it was slowly becoming apparent why he had called Carlisle in the first place.

He didn't want to lose Bella like he had lost his own family…

"Well anyway," he said, struggling for words and fighting off the dark images. "She began choking, and I tried to help her, and then she was fine. She was obviously upset—frightened more than anything, I guess, and then she left the room."

"Why was she scared?" I asked him. I still hadn't moved my eyes away from Bella. I stared at her lopsided body with an intense gaze, like if I looked away she would disappear. I wanted to move forward and wrap her in my arms, but I didn't dare do that with Charlie so close.

"I don't really know what happened…but I think she knew something _not normal _occurred…"

Carlisle didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

I cut in. "She didn't choke on food—she's losing her need to breathe."

Charlie looked to the floor. He knew that much already. He just wasn't ready to acknowledge that so far he wasn't preventing her from changing. I was the only rational one in the room, it seemed.

"How'd she pass out here though?" Carlisle asked.

"She left the room and then came into here. I watched her stand at the window for hours—_hours_! I even said her name a couple times, but she didn't acknowledge me. I didn't want to bother her, so I stayed away—I didn't know what to do. She stared like a statue through the glass, all the way until the sun went down. Then she seemed to have woken up from a daze, and she…well…panicked."

"Panicked?" I tried to hide the concern in my voice. There really was no point now.

"She screamed so loud when I tried to calm her down…I don't know why. Her pupils were so large too—I'd never seen anything like it."

Carlisle nodded. "It's normal—for hybrids." He angled his body towards Charlie, like I wasn't in the room. "Bella is experiencing symptoms of transitioning. They can be quite random, but also, they can come on a regular basis. Her human body is fighting against the gene in her blood—treating it like a disease, in a way—and her immune system is fighting it. She'll be getting weak soon, and like any human being with a weak immune system…"

"She'll get sick…" Charlie finished.

"Yes. She'll feel physically ill but her body won't respond in the usual, _human _way."

"What way will it respond?"

Carlisle shrugged. "Hybrid transitioning isn't quite black and white. People go through different things, experience different things. No two transitions are alike."

I couldn't hold in my thoughts any longer—I chuckled without humour just for spite. Both Charlie and Carlisle finally acknowledged by presence by turning their dark eyes towards me. I couldn't stand how they ignored the only source of knowledge for this situation—I was a walking medical dictionary, whereas Carlisle only had his knowledge from other old-wives-tales. "Well since you know so much then," I said sarcastically, "why don't you tell us what's happening to her right now?"

Carlisle gave me an unimpressed look. "I don't exactly know—she could be out for some time…maybe hours, maybe days. We should just be thankful that she's breathing now."

"She wasn't before you arrived," Charlie admitted.

Carlisle nodded. "I expected that much." He looked at me and then at Charlie, hesitating for words. "I need to discuss something with you."

I chuckled. "Go ahead."

"_Privately,"_ he finished.

I shrugged. "Step outside then—I'm not ready to leave yet."

Carlisle shook his head in disapproval, but Charlie didn't even look at me before leading himself and Carlisle out of the room and out of the house. After a few minutes I could hear Carlisle's voice telling Charlie about his concerns with my presence—_how shocking_, didn't see _that_ one coming. Carlisle hated to see me happy—well, not that I was happy—but he definitely hated seeing me with a different life than his. He still thought he could influence Charlie to remove Bella from me, and tonight he was ready to plant his seed of doubt into the chief of police's head. Too bad it's already there. He was wasting his time.

I couldn't worry about the future right now because I didn't know what was in store for Bella. I had no doubt in my mind that she would change, but sometimes I thought about what the meant and what that meant for me…would she want to be around me after her transformation? Would she trust me after hiding this secret from her? I didn't have the answers…and that made me nervous.

Bella was the main concern in all of this, and yet here she was, completely oblivious to her problems while she laid lifeless before me. She knew nothing of the gene in her system, and because of that, no one knew how she would react to the strange symptoms headed her way. How was Charlie going to begin to explain her blacking out—especially if she stayed out like a light _for days_…

I covered my face with my hands and didn't remove them until I felt ready enough to look back down at the "sleeping" hybrid. Without even realizing it, I had moved over Bella and was now only an arm's reach away from her…

"Bella," I whispered before carefully taking my hand and running light fingers up her jaw and along her cheek bone. Her skin was cold and the only response I got was the movement of her chest going up and down, up and down, giving me a small amount a relief.

I looked over my shoulder and then back at Bella before slowly slithering my hands beneath her body and carefully lifting her into my arms. She was light as air but didn't curl into me like I imagined she would one day, and instead just laid lopsided and unnatural in my arms. As I stared into her face I couldn't help but think this could be her fate—dead and unresponsive.

I looked over my shoulder towards Carlisle's voice that was still listing my horrible traits, and I knew I had only so much time with Bella like this before Charlie would come in the room and catch me. I knew I had to put Bella back down on the couch, but when I noticed the hoodie hanging off her thin body…

I smiled.

She was still wearing _my_ hoodie, and that little fact made my heart crack all over again. I imagine it drove Charlie wild knowing she flaunted it around—or maybe I was looking too closely into it. But all I knew was that her scent mixed with mine drove me insane—and that's why I placed her back down on the couch before she killed me with her proximity. I wasn't getting away too quickly though, so before leaving the room, I leaned down and laid one light kiss on her forehead. I could only get away with so much…and with Charlie so close…I was kind of asking for it.

Outside the house, Charlie stood alone in the driveway, his back to me, his mind somewhere else that I couldn't exactly trace.

"Where's your partner in crime?" I asked him, placing my hands in my jean pockets. It had stopped raining but the mist still hung in the air and stuck to my skin on the back of my neck. I pulled my hands out of my pocket and pulled the collar of my jacket a bit higher.

Charlie didn't laugh at my poke. Actually, he didn't have much of a response. He just sighed and said that he had gone back home. "There isn't much need for him to be here—I think I overreacted," he admitted.

I didn't think he overreacted at all. I'd always want to know if something happened to Bella—he knew that too. "Well I don't mind you calling our house."

He chuckled. "I know you don't."

I folded my arms into my chest. I could tell that he wanted me to leave. I didn't want to. "Can I just stay around until she wakes up…?"

Charlie shook his head before turning to face me. "No—you should leave. She won't be awake for awhile."

"You don't know that. I just want to stick around for a bit, and I won't let her see me—I just want to know she's okay."

"She's fine, Edward. You know that too—no point in taking advantage of the situation. Besides, I'm sure there will be some other time you'll beg to stay over, and maybe I'll say yes then."

I knew he was lying. He knew I knew that too, but he continued to stand with his shoulders square and a look that told me to get the hell away from his house.

"Fine," I said, pretending to give in when he turned his back and walked into the house and shut the door.

I shook my head in disbelief—he could kick me out of his house but there was no way I was leaving his property.

I was a night creeper—what else was there to do?

-x-

_**Thursday night, 12:30am. (Two nights later). **_

The front door opened.

I jumped behind Charlie's police SUV even though I knew he had seen me.

"I can see your feet Edward—go home."

I came out from around the front of the vehicle and stopped near the rear lights, where I leaned causally. "It's been two nights."

Charlie exited the house before zipping up his leather jacket. He and I both had on similar clothes—heavy motorcycle boots, dark jackets, dark jeans—only I would never have a badge thrown around my neck. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number. After a minute of dial tone he hung up. "How come no ones picking up over at your place?"

I shrugged casually. "Hunting trip—got to eat." It was half true. The boys had gone camping without me, irritated by my disappearance for the past couple days, leaving the girls to hunt on their own. I should have been with them—there was no doubt that I shouldn't be _this_ thirsty while standing outside Bella's window. It was stupid but there was no other place I'd rather be.

"I need to get a hold of Carlisle," Charlie said. "Or Esme—is she around town."

I knew what he wanted, and he knew that I knew what he wanted. But still, he chose to dance around the fact that I could solve his problems for a few hours. He needed a babysitter—I could do that. "I'm all you have tonight, Charlie. Don't be foolish—you know you can't leave her alone."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I'd rather leave her alone than with you."

I shrugged, deciding to call his bluff. "Fine—I need to hunt anyways," I said before showing him my back. It was a long shot that he would actually believe I would ever leave his house until I knew she was okay, but he was especially on edge tonight, and that meant he fell into my hands nicely.

"Wait."

I looked over my shoulder and then turned fully around. "Come on, Charlie. You need someone to look out for her—Kenneth could be lurking." It was a low blow. Even suggesting others were still waiting outside his house put a dark shadow over the situation. It probably wasn't smart, but I wanted him to recognize the dangers of the situation.

"Kenneth hasn't been seen in town since the night of the incident."

"Of course he hasn't—he's sneaky, just like the rest of his group."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

I didn't. "Yeah, well neither do you." I slipped my hands into my jacket pockets. "Come on—you can't skip out on work. It's your job."

"I can call in sick."

"That's lame and you know it."

"Don't tell me what I know."

I stared in awe at him, frustrated beyond belief. I watched the workings of his mind, watched the gadgets turn and weigh the options, until finally, his eyes glared into mine. I smiled.

"Wipe that damn smile off your face or I swear to God—"

"Everything's going to be fine," I said. "You're only gone for a few hours. I'll watch over her and call you if she wakes up."

He ripped his hands through his dark hair but ultimately gave in, just like I knew he would. The only thing I didn't see coming was his ground rule. "Don't go in the house."

I looked at him weird. "Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"What? I'm not going to touch her—"

"You lay a hand on her and I'll rip it off."

"Okay. Fine. I'll stay downstairs."

"Outside."

"Charlie—"

"Edward, you're killing me."

I sighed. "Fine. But if I suspect anything is wrong…"

He finished for me. "You'll call me."

"Sure."

He pulled out his keys from his pocket and headed towards his truck. Before getting into it, he stopped and peeled his glare at me one more time. "Cullen, she's all I got."

"I know," I said. _She's all I got too. _I didn't tell him that. "I'll see you in a few hours."

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

I didn't know where I was when I opened my eyes.

I was laying on my side, my body sore, my jeans sticking to me, my vision darkened by the helmet visor covering my face. When I leaned up onto my elbows the world flipped vertical, and I could see that I was in a forest.

_What the fuck. _How did I get here? I didn't know. I couldn't remember anything.

I stood up and brushed the muck off my jeans, groaning from stiff joints and a sore back. I didn't understand why I was in a forest or why I was alone—I knew something bad had happened.

I looked cautiously over my shoulder when I felt the spookiness of the dark crawl up my legs and along my spine, sending a chill through my bones. The atmosphere was incredibly lonesome, but with the night crawlers and full moon hanging in the sky, the situation was one hundred times scarier.

It didn't help that I didn't have my memory either.

My heart began to jump up and down under my jacket, punching through my chest from my anxiety. My hands matched my nerves, twitching like my legs, until all was lost and I was in a complete sprint, running as fast as I could through the dark woods with only one clear path.

And then it hit me—what exactly, I don't know. All I saw was the face of a glowing skeleton jump out at me, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back looking up at the black sky.

A laugh came next.

I jumped up and began to run away from the laughter, but the skeleton face jumped out at me again, this time grabbing me by the wrists and holding me in front of him.

I choked on a scream when I saw that the face was just human flesh covered with glowing paint and blacked out eye circles. I tried to rip my hands away from the grip holding me in place, but the figure flipped me around so that my back was pressed against his chest.

My stomach dropped when I saw the person standing in front of me.

Maksim had his same slimy grin on that he always had when he saw my discomfort. He reached forward and ripped off my helmet, tossing it to the ground without looking away from me. The breeze of the night crawled across my skin and blew my hair into my face. He took a step closer to me and grinned. _"So it is you,"_ he hissed. My stomach dropped when he looked at me with a devious smirk, his eyes glinting in the moonlight before catching a red tint.

My heart stopped.

I screamed.

_Bella! Wake up—_

The skeleton figure behind me dropped his hands away from me, but before I could run, Maksim grabbed me by the shoulders and crushed his dead cold lips onto mine—

My eyes flashed open to a horizontal version of my bedroom, the only forest in sight poking out through the dark window six feet from the bed. Two feet from me, hidden in the corner of the room away from the streaming moonlight, a dark figure lingered.

Before I could scream, Edward stepped into view, his palms in the air, a wide-eyed, nervous look in his eyes. "Bella it's me—Edward. It's okay."

"Edward?" I leaned up onto my elbows, the motion immediately reminding me of what was apparently a dream. I quickly jumped off the bed by instinct, unsure what was going on. I didn't expect the stiff joints that caused my muscles to turn to jelly, which caused me to tumble forward. Edward reached forward and caught me in his arms, his damp leather jacket reminding me of the one I wore in my dream. I gripped his arms with a tight hold, searching his face for answers while his concern stared anxiously across my own face. "Edward—you're in my room." There was nothing else to say—it was the only obvious thing that could hit me.

His eyes wondered to the floor and then back to me. They were incredibly dark for being green, and the bags under his eyes looked like something that should be on my face. He pointed behind him at the window. "I heard you screaming—I wanted to see if you were okay." His hand returned back with his other on my waist.

I looked around him at the open window. "You came through the window? How?"

He quickly back peddled. "No, no—I came through your bathroom window with the help of the turret over the porch."

I peered over at the bathroom door. It was open but I couldn't remember if the window had been opened or not. I couldn't even remember much of anything… The last thing I remembered was seeing Charlie…with red eyes…and then blacking out. I back pedalled away from Edward. "What the hell happened today—where's Charlie." My nervous voice couldn't find a question mark. It stayed flat and monotone.

Edward didn't answer me, and when I looked up at his face, he wouldn't look at me. I pulled away from him and moved around to the other side of the bed, liking the distance with the mattress between us. I stared into the moonlight that happened to light up the picture behind my bed. The forest aerial shot not only reminded me of the forest in my dream, but it reminded me of the forest I had stared into before I blacked out.

I looked over at Edward again. "Did Charlie call you or something? Tell you what happened?"

Edward looked at me funny. "No—I just happened to be around…I've been waiting for you to wake up."

Now I was the one looking at him funny. "You say that as if I've been sleeping for years—it's only been a couple hours. It's probably a concussion."

Edward looked away from me nervously.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said. He was a terrible liar.

I moved around the mattress and grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at me. "Edward—what do you know? What are you trying to say—that it's not a concussion?"

Something in his eyes flickered—he seemed to perk up suddenly. "No, it was definitely a concussion. You hit your head so hard that you've been out for two days."

I blinked. "Two days."

He hesitated. "You blacked out two days ago—you were at the hospital and everything. I saw you there—I was in the ER when you came in."

I didn't believe him. "What the fuck are you talking about?—get the hell out of my room. Charlie!" I screamed as loud as I could. "Charlie—"

Edward lunged forward and covered my mouth before I could spit out another scream. I knew he was lying—now he was trying to cover his ass. But he wouldn't let go of me. If anything, the harder I struggled against his body, the harder he held me. "Bella would you just listen!" he yelled, finally letting me pull away from him.

I didn't listen. I ran out into the hall and took each stair in twos before getting to the first floor in a flash. I only had my hand on the door handle for a second before I was spun around and thrown against it, my back pressed against the metal of the door, Edward's chest against mine.

"Stop running and just listen for a moment," he said lowly, his eyes set so deeply in a glare that it raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Edward looked evil in that moment—actually scaring me to the point of cooperation. I didn't have any other options. "Fine—let's hear your story. Better add up too or I'm calling the cops—better yet, I'm calling Charlie." I was all talk. He knew it too.

"You don't even know his number."

I smirked. "911."

He didn't find my threat the least but funny. Instead, he pushed himself further into me, his thighs touching my own, and his breath chilling my neck. "Listen…" he began, "I wasn't supposed to be over here—you know that, I know that—but Carlisle left the house, and I couldn't help but wonder if you were okay."

I hated his matter of fact tone. "And why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You had a concussion—well, a few untreated ones too. You hit your head on the edge of a coffee table, and that was enough to send you packing. Don't you remember anything? Even being in the ER? Carlisle was there—he was the one who checked you out and gave you the okay to send you home."

I didn't believe a word out of his pretty mouth, but I tried playing along just to see. "Why the _hell_ would I remember being at the hospital if I wasn't awake for it, Edward? Now you're just mixing up your so called facts." I smiled and waited for him to squirm, but instead, all he did was shake his head at me like _I_ was the crazy one. That's when I started getting that itch of doubt but I quickly brushed it off. "I wasn't awake at the hospital—"

"Yeah you were—Charlie took you over when he found you. You woke up this morning in the hospital. Charlie caught me ease dropping around your room—told me to stay the hell away from you. But I didn't…"

"And why can't I remember any of this?"

"Memory loss—it's an after effect. I had a few concussions in my time. You shouldn't have gone to sleep—you might not have woken up. "

"Yes…obviously." It wasn't obvious to me though. I didn't remember being at the hospital. I didn't even remember hitting my head. All I remembered was choking on nothing, getting upset, and then blacking out—and now all of this was thrust upon me. "So you're telling me that Charlie left me here alone—"

"You were fine today—talking and everything. That's why he left for his shift." He finally pulled away from me and let me move off the door.

Instead of trying to make another break for it I looked at him coolly and crossed my arms, which was my best attempt at accusing him with my body. "So what you're trying to say is you've just been spying on me—stalking me is probably a better word."

And instead of denying it…he shrugged. "Pretty much."

I chuckled humourlessly before reaching behind me, unlocking the door, and opening it for him to leave.

That's when the alarm decided to go off.

"Fuck!" I screamed, covering my ears with my hands. The keypad to the system was right next to the door, but Charlie had never told me the number—there was no way to turn it off. "I don't know the code!" I screamed.

Edward pushed me out of the way before typing in a four digit code which immediately brought back the silence of the night.

I looked at him in disbelief.

He smirked like he had something to prove. "What—I'm a _stalker_, aren't I?" he said smoothly, grinning as he stepped out of the house and down onto the porch. "You should call Charlie to tell him what's up—or maybe even the hospital."

"I'm fine—I'm not calling anybody. I'm not a damsel in distress."

He shrugged. "Sure you're not." His tone said otherwise. "Well, I should get out of here before Charlie gets home and shoots me. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him I was…"

"Creeping into my room while I was sleeping?"

He looked at the ground.

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

He looked puzzled. "And what's your secret?"

"I want you to pretend this night never happened. I didn't see you, you didn't see me. I remember everything, and everything is perfectly fine. And in fact, maybe we shouldn't see as much of each other until things clear over with Charlie."

Edward looked like he had been fine with the deal until he heard the last part. He immediately started shaking his head. "Come on—there's no need to quit seeing each other because Charlie doesn't want it to happen. And you know what, he didn't really even say for me to stay away—"

"You're lying—you just want to see me."

He took a step back into the house and pulled my chin up to look into his eyes. "Is that so bad? I like you a lot—I know you have those feelings too."

"No I don't," I lied.

He smiled, finding humour in my lie before leaning forward to try and kiss me. I pushed his chest away from me, forcing him to drop back down onto the porch. "Come on Bella, you know you can't stand being away from me either."

I rolled my eyes before glaring into his face. "I know nothing—I have memory loss. And until I know what the hell is going on…looks like we'll be pen pals."

"Pen pals…" His voice got lost in the darkness. "I don't think that's going to work for me."

I shrugged before slamming the door shut and then falling against it.

I gulped down the lump in the throat…because I knew that just maybe he was telling the truth about everything. It was all too crazy, but judging from my past black outs, it all made sense. I could have gotten other concussions from my wild night activities, and thankfully one little bump took me to the hospital. Now I knew I wasn't crazy—there was a reason for everything.

I exhaled, slightly relieved. It felt good to have the answers. What was happening to me was just results of a few bumps and bruises. I was fine—everything was normal.

I had nothing to worry about anymore. Absolutely nothing.

_**Edward Cullen**_

I wanted to kick myself but there was no time. As I watched Charlie's house from the forest, I had my cell phone up to my ear, waiting for the dial tone to disappear.

_Hello?_

"Charlie, it's me."

_Why are you calling me—did she wake up? Tell me she didn't wake up!_

I wanted to tell him that. Believe me, _did I ever_ want to tell him Bella was fine and that the night had zero hiccups. Of course, that would be one giant lie, almost as big as the string of lies that I had told Bella to cover Charlie's ass.

_Edward—what the hell happened?_

I hesitated before speaking up. "We've got problems."

**-x-**

**A/N:** Anyone with the time to review would be fantastic! I love hearing your thoughts. Tell me if you liked it or hated it and what you're excited or not excited for!


	27. FRATERNIZING WITH DIRTY PEOPLE

_**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**Chapter 27: FRATERNIZING WITH DIRTY PEOPLE**

_**Charlie Swan**_

"_We've got problems."_

My heart could have dropped into my stomach. "Excuse me?"

"_She woke up."_

I was sitting in my office, a swivel chair under my legs, when the words sunk in. I jumped up and flew across the room before punching the wall. My fist went straight through the jip rock.

I couldn't say anything into the phone for a few seconds, and Edward wasn't too quick with delivering any other news. He sensed my anger over the line. When I cooled off—just enough to form a few words—I finally spoke up. "Don't go near her—I'm on my way over." I was about to hang up the phone and split out of the office, but that was before I heard a doubtful, hesitating clearing of the throat on the other end of the line.

I pinched the bridge of my nose when I knew there were other reasons Edward had called. I could tell he was holding back, but there was no telling what he had in store for me. I was afraid to ask, but I knew I had to.

"_Charlie…I don't know how to say this…"_

There was no saving him—he'd better have a guardian angel, because he was dead, vampire meat. "Spit it out now before I come home and kill you."

There was another clearing of his throat—a nervous tick he's always had since I've known him—and then he finally choked it out.

"_I might have went into her room and startled her—"_

"_HER__ROOM!_— "

"—_and__then__I__had__to__make__up__a__story__—"_

"—_what__story_!—"

"—_about__a__concussion__and__me__stalking__her__—"_

"—Edward shut the hell up—"

"—_and__now__she__thinks__she's__just__suffering__from__memory__loss__from__the__injury.__"_

Silence broke through the phone for what seemed like hours. I savoured it while Edward's breath went up and down, up and down. It was very unnecessary. It made me angrier.

I stared at the hole in the wall that Edward had caused. It was ridiculous. I pulled a piece of paper off the cork board next to it and pinned it over the evidence of my uncontrollable anger. "Just so you know," I told him. "I just punched a wall—that will be your face if you don't tell me from beginning to end on what the _hell_ happened tonight, and more importantly, _what__you__told__her_."

He sighed and started from the beginning.

-x-

When I pulled into the driveway and saw Edward already hiding up in a tree on the edge of my property, all I could hear in my mind was Carlisle's warnings from the other night—

_There's something dangerously genuine about the way Edward looks at Bella…I'd stop it before she starts looking at him like that too._

I had laughed in his face when he told me that. It was all I could do to prevent myself from thinking about what he was actually saying, and what it entailed. But unlike that night when I had pushed his warning to the back of my mind, now I was getting front row seats to this so-called infatuation. Edward had perched himself two stories high in a pine tree, the only position on the yard that kept him away from me, but aligned his eyes on the last bedroom on the right.

I don't know how Edward was brave enough to even be on my property after telling me everything he had done tonight. He was foolish and ignorant.

I avoided looking directly at him through the windshield when I parked the car in case Bella was watching me, but that didn't prevent me from tilting my head down and threatening him anyway. "You'd get the hell out of here if you knew what was best for you."

I glanced his way for a brief second, quick enough to catch his smug face and shake of his head. Edward continued to hold his ground in _my_ tree, in _my_ yard, while he stared through _my_ window, at _my_ foster kid.

I smiled but it was far from a smile. "You're incredible," I told him before exiting the car.

Edward shrugged, swaying his feet in the wind.

"You're lucky she's in that house or you know I'd be up that tree so fast—"

I cut myself off when Edward's eyes flashed away from my place on the ground and stared at Bella's window. I looked away from him and turned to see two glossy eyes staring through Bella's window. They disappeared just as quickly.

I sighed, dreading having to back up Edward's bullshit while pretending I knew nothing of his presence. Apparently he had never been here tonight—that's what I had to go with—and then I had to keep up with the story of a concussion and an ER trip and everything was totally lovely and perfect and normal and…I was going to kill Edward.

Not tonight though. I had other things to do. That's why I entered the house silently and shut the door behind me.

All was quiet.

I pulled my gun holster from my waist and hung it on the first hook near the door. My head was tilted down, my attention focused on fumbling with my keys, and that's why I jumped when I saw a figure move across the space at the top of the stairs. When I looked up, Bella was leaning casually against the wall. She looked like ghost with only the top half of her face lit up by the early morning moonlight outside.

I hesitated for words, choosing to hang up my jacket before speaking. "How are you feeling?" I finally asked. I felt lame knowing she and I were both playing the same part—she was the ignorant kid and I was the naïve adult.

Judging by her awkward stance, she wasn't exactly comfortable lying to me either. That made me a little more at ease, but not much. "Great—I just heard you come in, actually. You woke me up…"

I could have laughed but I didn't. I couldn't believe she was going that far with the role. Fine—if she wanted to play it like that, I could too. "Oh I woke you up?" I asked like a naïve parent. "Oh well, maybe you should go back to bed and not worry about school tomorrow. I'll call the principle and tell them your situation."

The entranceway was dark but the room grew darker when Bella's eyes shifted behind me and then to the floor. She had a look of concentration on her face, and for a moment I thought she was getting lost in her thoughts again. Then I realized she was just disappointed in my offer…

"What's wrong Bella?"

She didn't really say anything. Her eyes just moved to my face. I was glad not to see any red tint to them tonight. But that didn't mean it wasn't there somewhere.

"Don't tell me you _want_ to go to school…"

She shrugged. "I don't know…there's not much else to do. It's the normal thing to do, anyway."

_Normal_. I couldn't deny that. "Alright—forget I said anything," I told her.

She did just that and more by disappearing from the top of the stairs, her bedroom door closing in the distance. I had the urge to tell her to close her curtains, but there would be no explaining myself.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

**Friday Morning.**

My jeans didn't fit right. It was like my ass had grown or my thighs had shrunk. The fit was all wrong. Must be the concussion—_yup,_ that was the reason for everything these days.

I pulled the jeans on anyway. They felt ridiculously tight in the worst places, not to mention the drag I was used to had somehow shortened, like I had grown an inch over night.

_Yup._ It's the concussion.

The leather jacket I had thrown over Edward's hoodie seemed to fit alright still. It wasn't mine and it didn't really feel like mine, so that was the fit I was expecting. At least my chucks were okay. They were mine and hadn't changed seemingly over night, whereas I couldn't even look in the mirror and see the lost foster kid anymore.

I looked…different. From the top of my head, to the tip of my toes, something felt off, and now I was beginning to see the evidence. Not just the bags under the eyes from the lack of sleep or the grey undertones in my skin from lack of nutrition, but other things that didn't make sense. My damn hair was glossy at the ends like I spent thirty dollars on conditioner, and my roots looked insanely thick, like I had twelve layers of extensions glued to my scalp. The textures and contours on my face was another story. It was like someone had showed me how to exfoliate and cleared my acne scars but then punched me in both eye sockets, leaving the darkest of eye circles and sharp cheek bones.

Must be the concussion. _Yup._

I wasn't he only one who noticed the change, apparently. I hadn't even made it out the door for school before Charlie gave me the up and down and said "You look…_different_."

That's what he said. _Different._Instead of asking me how the alarm system had been turned off last night or maybe how I was even feeling today, he said that. _You__look__different._

I shrugged it off. "Yeah, it's the jacket. It's not mine."

He nodded. "Oh." Then something registered in his brain. "Well then whose is it?"

"Leah's."

There was a wash a relief before a hesitated pause. "Now who is that exactly?"

I didn't even know, so I told him that. "I'm not really sure. One of Jacob's friends I guess."

"Oh."

The conversation should have ended. But then he started it up again on _Jacob._

"It's Jake's birthday today," he said.

I didn't know how he even knew that, but I didn't ask him. I was too caught up in realizing that I had forgotten. How had the week come to Friday already?

"I'm supposed to be patrolling with a new guy tonight—should I be expecting your disappearance from the house?"

"No." It wasn't a lie. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing tonight. I remembered promising Jake I would go, but that was before my whole blacking out stuff. He would understand. He had to.

"Every year they have a pretty big party down that way for the kid—it usually gets a couple good noise complaints too. I can't imagine they wouldn't be doing the same thing this year. Only turn Seventeen once."

"You only turn 33 once too. It's not a big deal birthday. Either is 26, 52, 41, 47, 64—"

"Bella, you can go, if you want."

I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

"To the reservation party. I'm not an idiot—there's one tonight on the cliff side."

My eyes probably looked like they were bulging from my head. "You're giving me permission to go to a _party_?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not even a party—more of a bonfire. I know Billy. He'll be there and so will the other clan members. You should enjoy yourself for once instead of trying to sneak around my back, and this way I know you'll be safe with them."

Something felt off. "Safe? From what?"

His tone jumped higher. "Nothing—absolutely nothing. I just mean that you'll be safe from me grounding you for sneaking out—because you have my permission…" He was lost in his own words. So was I.

"I have your permission to sneak out?"

"Bella—"

"I'm not going Charlie, so you don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried about anything. I just want you to start having a good time while you're with me."

I chuckled. "Why?"

"For several reasons. We've barely talked about Kenneth—I don't want to bring up that night again, but there's still a possibility that he's out there waiting for me to slip up and let you get out of my sight. But I know I can't keep you locked up, and who knows, maybe he's on to the next town. We don't know until the police find him, and until then…well...we can only make assumptions. There's no reason so far to be afraid, and I want you to feel like you can be normal and go out and see the world without thinking…someone's watching…"

A shiver went up my spine. I didn't think about Kenneth too often, but every now and then, there was a moment where I felt that cold glare on my back—it was just my nerves, but it was just the same as the real thing. I would never tell Charlie I was scared. "What's the other reason for letting me loose?"

He looked at his feet and then back at me. "Well…this is only a foster home…who knows…you could be taken from me any day now…and I don't want your only memories here being bad ones."

My gut sunk into my feet. "Oh—well you don't have to worry. Nobody wants me."

He looked like he was about to say something, but I quickly opened the door and left the house before he could say anything he would regret.

He followed though. "Bella can I drive you to school?"

I stopped in my tracks and flipped around. "What? Why?"

"Because I feel bad that you have to take the bus."

I shot down his offer. "It's okay. I'm used to the bus. It suits me."

He shook his head and walked over to his SUV. "Please Bella—it would make me happy."

There it was again—that tingle of pain known as regret. I couldn't wave his offer off.

"Ugh—fine. I'll go with you," I told him.

I don't know why I said that. I just felt…different.

-x-

The drive was mostly silent. I wasn't interested in letting Charlie in on my memory loss or the fact that I had woken up with a night creeper in my room. Besides, it was only _Edward._ If he cared enough to wonder about me, if he cared enough to check up on me, and if he cared enough to watch me when no one else was, then who was I to draw the line at breaking and entering?

No. That _was_ crossing a line. I just didn't care anymore. At all, really. We were friends. _Friends._ Gross. That word was going to kill me one day. That or Kenneth, I'm not sure.

"I've got to show you how to work that security system," Charlie told me out of the blue.

I nodded. "Yeah." I wasn't paying that much attention. I just watched the trees fly by and the fog begin to clear from the woods.

"It's nothing too hard—just punch in a few numbers and boom—the house it secure. Anything with a censor will be tripped if something crosses its paths—I've got almost every window and door tagged."

I sunk lower in my seat. How he didn't see the obvious was beyond me. Edward was the number one person to keep out of his life, yet he had already stepped over the red line and gotten to me. "What's the code…just in case I need it?"

"0913"

My heart went up into my throat and then dropped into my stomach. Charlie glanced my way, as if he felt the flutter. I hesitated before I asked. "What's the significance?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just a bunch of numbers."

Figures. Coincidences are called coincidences for a reason.

After the long awkward pause, the SUV turned into the school parking lot, where the sun stayed hidden behind a nice thick curtain of smog.

"This town is bullshit," I said grumpily before exiting the car.

Charlie chuckled before noticing my lack of luggage. "Hey—" he called after me. I didn't stop moving forward but I looked over my shoulder in irritation, wanting to get out of sight in case any certain _pirates_ were lurking. "Where's your book bag."

I felt the lightness on my back—or the lack of weight on my shoulders. I had dropped it before getting on the bus my first day of school and hadn't seen it since. Two guesses who had it now—

"Bella you better be going to classes—"

"Would you relax?" I yelled, pulling up the collar on Leah's leather jacket. "It's in my locker." I lied.

He eyed me suspiciously, knowing damn well I didn't have any clue what my combination was or where the hell my locker was even located—if I had one at all.

"See you at home around supper time," he yelled after me.

I waved over my shoulder, not even looking in his direction anymore. It took only thirty seconds for him to peel out of the parking lot and then one sideways glance to see I wasn't alone.

In the shadows, lurking like usual, Maksim leaned on a cement wall of the building. He wore a clean looking plaid shirt and cutoff army shorts. Even though the patterns were loud, his dark personality forced them together and made them look like nothing was out of the ordinary. His dirty bandanna on the top of his head pulled the look together.

I stopped walking. There was no way I could go into that building with him so close. Not that I could avoid him for long—there was still that unsaid date we needed to make…

"Bella—"

My gaze snapped around to the other side of the parking lot, where twenty feet away, Edward Cullen waved me over towards him. Despite our so-called "pen pal only" relationship, I decided to put it on the back burner and head over his way since he was the lesser of two evils lurking the school grounds.

Edward's confused gaze immediately questioned my presence. "What are you doing here—you should be taking it easy," he said, his eyes scanning towards the back of the lot where Maksim's crew were pulling in on their dirt-bikes. I looked over their way for a moment, just in case Emmett's bike happened to appear out of nowhere.

Maksim wasn't stupid enough to bring the dirt-bike that close to Edward. For all I knew, it was somewhere hidden in the winding trails of the forest, locked away until I won it back. Edward didn't need to worry about anything then. I just needed to keep the race on the down low. If Edward found out, he would do everything to stop it, I'm sure—he didn't trust me. That meant in order to hide the race from him, I didn't bring up Emmett's bike or anything that could show the guilt in my face for keeping something from him.

"I don't know why we're talking about something that _didn't__happen_," I said before glaring at him. I was referring to our promise from last night—that everything was fine and nothing had happened.

He took my wrist in his hand. "No—it happened alright. I just _wasn't__there_," he said with a mocking tone.

I pulled my hand away from him, not letting him get under my skin or dictate my direction. I headed toward the school. He stepped in front of me. I glared at him. "You don't even go here during the day."

He shrugged. "So what?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. You really are stalking me."

His shoulders stayed straight. His eyes peered into my face. "Just looking out for you."

I smiled but made sure he knew it wasn't genuine by throwing in an eye roll. "How thoughtful of you. Maybe you could hold my purse."

"You don't carry a purse—you don't carry much of anything actually." He noticed my missing schoolbag. It put a question mark on his face, where he waited for me to erase it.

"All I need are the clothes on my back," I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

A grin played across his face. "Is that right?" He looked at me with anxious, devious eyes. I didn't understand his smirk until he grabbed a loophole on my jeans and pulled me close to whisper in my ear. "I've noticed you taking a liking to my articles of clothing—for not being one to accept gifts, you sure like to wear my hoodie around a lot."

I hesitated and cleared my throat. I should have thought harder about my outfit today instead of throwing on his hoodie. Somehow it had become an everyday staple—a comfort thing, I suppose. I wouldn't tell him that. Instead, I pulled his hand off of me and continued walking towards the school.

Edward kept up beside me. Thankfully he switched the subject. "So when are we starting these love letters between us?"

"_Love_ letters?" I couldn't hold back the laugh. He was looking too closely into this pen pal situation. "As if."

Edward didn't need to respond. He just tormented me by snaking his arm over my shoulder before pulling me into his side. His arm tightened until my head was under his chin. I groaned in irritation to hide the flutter of amusement in my throat.

I heard the rumble of a light chuckle in his own throat, and for a second, I felt perfectly fine, as if the previous days really hadn't happened—

The entrance of the school came too soon, and then he dropped his hands away from me. I took a step away from him, the foot between us still strangely full of energy like we were still wrapped around the other.

"So…" His voice trailed and ended.

"So…" I mocked his attempt at a goodbye. I decided to break the ice. "See yeah," I said quickly before spinning on my heals.

His arm shot out and pulled me by the elbow back to face him.

"What?"

"Be careful today, okay?"

I pulled my arm away from him. "It's high school."

He didn't look away from my face before saying "Maksim Smirnov goes here—that's something to be careful about."

I played dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"The hell you don't."

I had wondered when Edward was going to quit with the bullshit and tell me upfront about his problems with Maksim—because hell, I knew I wasn't the only one who feared him. He didn't even know the half of my issues with Maksim, and still, he was giving me a warning. I knew I wasn't the only one without a spine—Edward was just as nervous around him. It made me feel good.

Edward took a step closer to me. His eyes raked over my face before stopping on my own eyes. "The night Maksim's buddy Mike saw you with that dirt-bike and came to take it back—that doesn't _worry_ you at all?"

Edward had no idea that Maksim had already cornered me in my moment of vulnerability. He was only going off rumours—that I had stolen the bike from Maksim, and he in return took what he had thought was Edward's own bike just to piss everybody off. He had no idea what really went on the first night he had carried me home to Charlie, or even a few days ago in the cafeteria when I had launched my doom right into Maksim's face.

I pushed his chest away from mine, and then he got the idea and finally put an inch between us. I stared into his eyes, where they circled around my face like a storm searching for its pray, and then it was me wondering if he was the one who was even stable enough to handle a little day at school. "Are you okay? You look…tired." Tired wasn't the word. He looked high—stoned out of his mind. "Are you on drugs?" I asked, pulling even farther away from him. "That's why your pupils are always fucked up isn't it?"

He rolled his eyes, trying to play off my acquisitions as stupid. "Come on—we all know what enlarged pupils means," he said low enough to pull me back into his seductive ways. Before I knew it, my back was pressed up against a pillar where his hands trailed up and down my sides, keeping me locked in place. I wasn't going anywhere and I didn't want to. "Maksim is not someone you want to get caught up with." His voice was stern and serious—the opposite of the intimate position of his body on mine. "Stay clear of him Bella," he whispered into my ear before finding that pressure point near my neck. When his cold lips pressed into it, I swear my knees gave out—

"Bella?"

My heart stopped. That voice only belonged to one innocent girl.

Edward looked over his shoulder. "She's busy."

I shoved him off of me and looked around him at Kathleen. She stood with her backpack in her hand, her jacket in the other. Her hair was tied into a tight bun, and her eye makeup matched her pink sweater. She looked…like herself.

"Kathleen—hi." I didn't know what to say. I'd rather see Maksim right now—he was someone I couldn't blow off, where as she was much more complicated. I didn't exactly need to be friends with her, but the thought of actually having one kept me from turning my back on her.

Edward sensed my pull in her direction and quickly spoke under his breath. "Listen to me Bella—there's no other person in this world who holds a grudge longer than Maks. Don't go near him. If you see him, walk the other way."

I ignored him even though it put a shock through my skin. "Get out of here—we can't be around each other this much."

He scowled at me. "Please Bella—"

I kneed him in the crotch.

His arm shot out to catch himself on the pillar. It looked like he was trying to seduce me again by the way he leaned over me, but only I knew it was from pain. I easily stepped around him and took a spot next to Kathleen.

After a few seconds, Edward peeled himself from his spot and headed towards the parking lot, throwing me a glare in between getting into his Volvo and peeling out of the lot.

I turned and looked at Kathleen. She had a confused look on her face. "Did I do that?" she asked. "I didn't mean to interfere."

I waved it off. "No—what? That? No—that's nothing. We're nothing. He's just—well, he's…" I didn't know what to say. "No you didn't interfere."

"Edward Cullen is bad news."

I chuckled. "That's just a rumour. He's as harmless as I am." I don't think that did anything for my side of the argument, but she didn't bother continuing with it and switched to the next topic of the day as we entered the school. Unfortunately, that topic happened to be _me_.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days. It's already the end of the school week."

That blew my mind. Friday seemed to come up out of nowhere. At least I had the weekend to sit on my ass and catch up on figuring out the calendar and its dates. "Yeah I was sick."

That wasn't the smartest thing to tell Kathleen, apparently. She quickly covered her mouth and spoke through her hand. "Oh no—I haven't gotten my annual shots yet!"

I tried to back pedal. "Oh no—it's nothing contagious."

She sighed in relief, dropping her hand, but I noticed her breathing was focused away from me. "What did you have?" she asked. "Toothache? Ear infection—I hate those buggers. They're the worst."

I decided to go with that. "Yeah—it was an ear infection. Very painful."

She nodded. "I would have taken the rest of the week off if I were you, just to be safe."

I sighed. "I probably should have," I said. _Probably__should__have_…

"My mum wouldn't like it too much if I came home with a cough—she'd think I had been fraternizing with dirty people."

My mind went blurry. Not because of the concussion or anything. It was just Kathleen. And then there was the mention of parents—I couldn't sympathize with people who complained about parental concern. They were lucky, in a way. But not too lucky.

"She'd think I wasn't washing my hands—and of course I wash my hands. I wash them at least six times a day."

"Six times a day?" I wasn't interested, but strangely, there I was asking her about something so ridiculous. I never care enough to ask about other people's lives. Maybe I could care enough today.

"Yes. Six times a day, everyday. I have a clean bill of health because of it." She was proud of herself. _Good__for__her._

I didn't know what exactly to say. Congratulate her? High five her. Nod? Yeah. I nodded.

"Oh—I almost forgot! I got your notes for chemistry class."

I blinked. I hadn't realized we had classes together. "We're in a same class?"

"Yes—two actually. Chemistry and gym. I even asked Mrs. Brenner to put you in my group for chemistry labs."

My heart sank. She was incredible. I hadn't thought about her a single time over the past few days, and here she was passing me perfectly typed notes and making sure I couldn't get behind in class.

I felt guilty but I didn't let her see it. "Jeez Kathleen, that is so nice of you," I said before looking down at the experiment from an apparent lab that I had missed. "Are you sure the rest of your group doesn't mind a new member?—I don't want to be dead weight, but that's what it might be for the first while."

She mumbled a few words, dropping her gaze as we walked around the school. The bell hadn't rung yet, and students crowed the entranceway and hallways, talking about their plans for the night.

"Kathleen you're going to have to speak up—I can't hear you over everyone."

She tilted her head up in reluctance and spoke clearer. "My group doesn't mind because I'm the only one in it."

My throat closed over. I didn't know what to say. My mind went blank. "Oh," I said lamely. There was nothing else to say. I felt terrible. She and I were too much alike that it killed me inside.

Her gaze fell back to the tile and then she pushed a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear. And then there was that feeling again—remorse, as if she had just dropped down dead in front of me. I wouldn't let that happen. I was going to save her in return for saving me. In truth, we were all each other had.

The bell rang. I turned to her. "Kathleen I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

Her eyes smiled through her caked on makeup. "Okay—I'll save our same spot again."

That wasn't a smart idea considering it was the spot I had thrown a juice can at Maksim. It was probably the table he sat at every lunch break. That meant I wasn't going to be around there. And no, I wasn't avoiding Maksim because _Edward_ told me too, but because _I_knew it was stupid, and it was _my_ own decision. "I don't think we should go in the cafeteria anymore considering what happened last time. I'm thinking somewhere else would be a better choice."

"The library? But you're not allowed food in there."

I shook my head. "I'm sure we can find a better place. I'll meet you out front and we'll figure it out from there."

"Okay," she said before leaving me.

-x-

After three tiring classes of explaining my unprepared nature, lunch came.

I waited at the front of the school just like I was supposed to. Only problem was, Kathleen was nowhere in sight.

It took five minutes of impatience before I gave up and turned away from the doors and headed towards the cafeteria in case she had forgotten—

I froze in the crowd when Maksim's eyes shot out from his group of boys and locked on mine.

I swallowed the fear but my stomach gurgled it back up my throat and into my eyes, which blinked nervously when he motioned for me to come to him.

I did what I definitely shouldn't have done—I turned around and booked it, ducking into the first girl's bathroom I could find.

Of the six stalls, one was in use. I didn't feel the need to hide in a stall all day, so I walked over to one of the mirrors over the sinks and stared at my reflection.

I still didn't recognize myself. I looked like a photo shopped dirt bag wanna-be, eyes so tired that crystal meth junkies looked better than me.

I splashed some water up onto my skin and wiped it off with the sleeve of my jacket. I stayed staring at myself in the mirror, too scared to leave the bathroom in case Maksim still lurked. After ten seconds though, the bathroom stall behind me opened, and out walked little Miss Wilkerson.

I turned and gave her an unimpressed look. "Forget to be somewhere, Kathleen?"

"Bella, I am so sorry—I forgot it was that time of the month and I had nothing prepared so I had to create a make shift raft—"

"Jesus Christ—would you stop." Not only did this type of girl talk drive me up the wall, but I was especially defensive since my 'time of the month', as Kathleen had put it so nicely, was creeping up on 'my time of the year'. I couldn't even remember the last time I had to buy a tampon. It was a blessing but I knew it was bad—I just blamed it on my weight fluctuations and shoved it to the back of my mind.

"Are we still on for lunch?" she asked as she washed her hands with too much soap.

"I don't know—are you okay to set sail?" I wondered if she understood that I was mocking her.

She smiled before turning off the tap. "Everything is okay now, thank you."

"Lovely," I said, taking the lead in exiting the bathroom.

And just as quickly as I had forgotten why I had entered the bathroom in the first place, Maksim's presence was there and ready to remind me.

He grabbed the top of my arm before I had a chance to back pedal, his buddies flanking my sides and blocking me from Kathleen. Maksim leaned his face towards mine before giving me instructions. "We need to talk—loose the follower."

I turned helplessly to Kathleen, but she was already backing away, her lunchbox at her chest, her eyes lost in fear.

"I'll see you on the bus, okay?"

She nodded and turned the other way, leaving me on my own.

_That's what friends are for…_

I rolled my eyes.

-x-

The parking lot was packed with teenagers coming and going from their lunch time activities. There was so much noise and hyped up energy, as if the school had cut the cord on its students and they were running for the hills. But as busy as the teenagers were with their friends and seemingly important lives, a few stranded souls had actually noticed my presence amongst the grit and grime of the pirates flanking my sides. Judging from their wide eyes and sideways glances to each other, they knew I wasn't headed in the right direction for as long as I stayed walking with Maksim ahead of me.

I couldn't help it. I was stuck with his crew, so I kept my head down and let them lead me to their edge of the parking lot, where their dirt-bikes leaned against rusty kickstands. The group of eight boys dispersed into a few smaller groups of two or three, talking amongst each other, while I stayed planted in the center of the huddle of bikes. My eyes trailed over the metal and plastic of each bike in search for Emmett's, but my eyes came up short when they planted on the Maksim's face that was in turn staring at my own.

"We should go somewhere more private to talk." Maksim's eyes scanned the area, as if he knew that I might have people watching my back.

As if.

Maksim was quick to prove he wasn't joking. He moved towards a black Kawasaki Ninja, the only bike in the group that wasn't made for trails. It was a fucking nice motorcycle, and if it didn't belong to Maksim, I might ask the owner for a ride.

I looked away from him when he got on it, knowing his intentions immediately. I had the urge to run away, but the further my eyes wondered from the group of boys, the more tense the soldiers got. Before I knew it, Mike and the other boys were cat calling me and pushing me towards Maksim.

"Okay, I get it," I yelled, ripping myself away from their bodies and wondering hands. Maksim smirked at my attempt for control. That was before grabbing a helmet from a nearby dirt-bike and tossing it my way. I easily caught it and then threw it back. "Hell no."

"You don't want to wear a helmet? Fine. But it's probably safer when you're riding on back." He tapped the space behind him on the motorcycle, beckoning me forward.

I shook my head. "I'm not allowed on the backs of motorcycles," I said. "It's a rule." It wasn't a rule. It was my lame attempt at backing down from his offer.

It only got a laugh from the other boys and Maksim to roll his eyes. "Well," Maksim said. "I bet you're not allowed to trespass onto private property, steal other people's bikes—twice I might add—and then to top it all off with a can of soda to the face."

I saw my opportunity, and instead of being a girl, I took it. "It was tomato juice."

Someone from behind pushed me towards the motorcycle, and before I knew it, Maksim was holding me by the wrists.

I swallowed hard. I needed a new plan. "Fine. I'll take the helmet."

He smiled, showing his teeth. They were all perfectly aligned except for one on the bottom row that stuck out like a thumb. "Thought so," he said, handing me the black helmet before putting on his own.

I groaned internally and stuck the helmet over my head, letting my hair fall out at the back before shutting the tinted visor. At least if I was seen, no one would know I was cowardly going along with him.

Maksim started the bike just as the boys started howling. I'm sure the rest of the parking lot was watching and waiting for me to make that spineless move onto the back of his bike.

There was no avoiding it…

I stepped towards the bike and threw my right leg over the bike before perching myself on the back of Maksim's death trap. The boys hollered and mocked me, grabbing at my hood and the end of my leather jacket, until Maksim revved the engine and suddenly pulled out of the spot.

I swallowed a curse word and grabbed the back of his plaid shirt when I nearly fell off the back. He was a crazy driver, which he proved when he took the turn out of the parking lot as hard as the engine would allow, forcing me to shoot my arms around his waist to keep myself on the bike.

As disgusted as I should have felt for even being near Maksim and agreeing to go on his bike, the speed of his motorcycle and his insane driving put a feeling in my stomach that actually wasn't as sick as I thought it would be. In fact, after every passing minute that I clutched onto Maksim for dear life, it became less and less scary, and more and more thrilling. It wasn't awful speeding through town and then into the back roads of Forks, especially since it wasn't raining and the day was turning into a nice enough one. _Maybe__the__sun__would__come__out__after__all,_I thought.

Ten minutes later, the road turned to dirt, and Maksim slowed the bike down to a crawl until the road completely ended. He stopped the bike once it came to the edge of the forest. I slid off it and tossed his helmet to the ground, probably scratching it too. It wasn't mine—I didn't care.

"Oh come on," Maksim sighed after turning off the bike and taking his own helmet off. "It wasn't _that_ bad of a ride."

I wasn't going to disagree or agree. It was okay. It would have been more than okay if it wasn't him driving.

"Why so quiet?" He looked me up and down. "Come on…" He stood up off the bike and reached forward to touch my face. I swatted his hand away before he had the chance. "There's the girl I know," he said with a smile.

I chuckled. "You don't know me."

He looked at me funny before showing me his back. "That's half true," he said. He circled his bike and came back to stand in front of me. "That's partly why we need to talk—we need to get to know each other, especially since we'll be seeing so much of each other in the near future."

I shook my head. "I doubt that."

He smiled. "Don't be so sure."

I stared blankly at him. I didn't want to play along. I wanted him to get to the point so that I could get back to school and not have to deal with this bullshit much longer.

"So maybe I don't know you _that_ well, fine. It's true. All I know is that you're a thief and you live with the Chief of Police—the irony isn't lost on me either."

I gave him a smug look. "Very funny."

He shrugged. "You started this whole war by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then you made it all worse by taking something that wasn't yours. What do you want me to do—just forgive and forget?"

"If that's what you want, sure."

He grinned before laughing. "Not a chance."

I wasn't surprised.

"Let's start over—we've never really been introduced." He cleared his throat and then smoothed his hair down. "I'm Maksim Smirnov—Maks for short, which you already know." He winked and held out his hand. I didn't move to take it. He dropped it and started circling around me. "I'm the figurehead—if you will—of the biker gang _Pieces__of__Eight_, which I started my first year of high school."

I saw my opportunity and I quickly took it. "Which was what, eight years ago?" I smiled at my attempt on knocking him off his high horse. I knew he wasn't a smart guy. It didn't take a genius to be intimidating, it just took an asshole with an ego.

He gave a humourless chuckle at my joke before grabbing me by the shoulders and holding me in front of his face. "Something like that, _Bella__Crossbones_. We'll see how well you do in this town once you figure out that it's not as square as you might have thought. I'll bet you anything in this world that you'll be shaking in your boots when you find out your nightmares have softer images than the things that go on in _this__very__forest_…" He slowly turned us to look at the dark trees stretching out into the sky.

I swallowed hard. He really was a pirate. I couldn't understand a single word of what he was saying. "What exactly are you saying?"

He smiled deviously before pulling me close to his face. I tried to pull away, but his lips came right up to my ear. "I may not be smart…but I've seen things that only happen in horror stories….We're not alone in Forks, _Bella_," he whispered. "There's something out there…" He pointed to the forest. "And I'm going to find out what."

I moved away from him when he finally let me go. He had to be drunk—high at least. The kid was crazy with a 'k', and he was making me regret even getting on the bike with him. I never should have left the damn school.

"But enough about Forks and its odd _creatures_." He eyed me suspiciously. "I want to hear about you—what brought you here to our little town of Forks?"

I shrugged. "I heard the food here was fantastic."

He took a step closer to me and reached for my face again. This time, I cringed and let him touch a strand of my hair before he dropped his hand. "_Come__on__Bella_, play fair. I told you something about me…would it kill you to tell me something about yourself?"

_Yes._"Fine. I live with the Chief of Police because I had a bad rep and my parents sent me here to live with him so he could straighten me out." It wasn't that bad of a story. It sounded plausible.

He smirked. "You're lying to me." His voice turned dark. "I don't' like liars—they can't be trusted. I want to trust you Bella…I do…I _really_do."

Something in my stomach turned, but still, I insisted on sitting on the lie. It's just felt better than letting him into my world. "I don't know what to tell you—it's the truth. My parents hate me. Charlie's their friend. He said he could keep me under control." I shrugged after.

He shook his head. "You're unbelievable…" His eyes went dark after looking me up and down. I felt the urge to just call it quits and run the other direction, but before I had a chance, he grabbed the back of my hood and pulled my back against his chest. He spoke directly into my ear next. "I know that you're seventeen. I know that you're from Arizona. I know that you're a foster kid…"

My ears rang with each fact. The last one hurt the most.

He didn't release me. Instead, he turned me to a different angle and pointed towards the forest. "You see that path there?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Really look, Bella _Crossbones_." His hand stayed in front of me, pointing like an arrow until my eyes scanned the bare area I was meant to see. Sure enough, a thin path slipped into the woods.

"I see it."

He dropped his hold on me and walked towards his bike. "That path is going to lead you to where you need to be tonight."

I snapped my head away from the path and glared at him. "Excuse me?"

He smirked. "Tonight's the night. On the stroke of midnight, the race to end all races will start. If you're not there…you forfeit your right to your bike—and in doing so, you forfeit _yourself__to__me._"

My stomach dropped. "Tonight? It's too soon."

He shook his head. "Nope. It's a full moon tonight…I want to make perfect use of it." He bent down and picked up the helmet that I had chucked to the ground early. He held it out to me, waiting for me to take it. "Don't be a sore loser Bella."

I took the helmet from him. "Oh please, I could say the same thing to you."

He laughed deeply in his throat before jumping on the bike and revving it to life. He chucked on his helmet and then looked behind him.

I groaned. I didn't want to get back on the bike…but I also didn't want to hitch hike across town…

_Kill__me._ I got on the bike without a single word, ignoring the way he leaned back into me before leaving a puff of dust behind the motorcycle's spinning wheels.

I made a point of not holding onto him the entire way back to the school, and I would have jumped off the bike right away when we got back to the parking lot if he hadn't have grabbed my wrist before I had a chance.

He flipped the visor of his helmet up. "Remember our deal, _Cinderella_."

I ripped my arm away from him and threw off the helmet, making sure to chuck it as far from his bike as I could. One of the boys from his group cursed at me, but I had a head start towards the school before he could chase me down and make me pay.

And as I ran towards the doors and entered into the school, all that I could think about was how the hell I was going to not only get Emmett's bike back tonight, but somehow get my own bike back from Jake to even go to the race.

Looks like I was going to a bonfire.

**-x-**


	28. NO TURNING BACK

_**Disclaimer:**Stephenie Meyer owns her characters of her Twilight series, I'm just giving them a night out._

**a/n: **Maybe re-read the last chapter in case you're lost. Let's admit, it's been a while…haha.

**Chapter 28: NO TURNING BACK**

_**Edward Cullen**_

I was driving around with nowhere to go when I pulled up behind a van. It was lingering at a four-way intersection, just idling because it could. I waited for the driver to do something—anything—but he remained a Sunday driver with nowhere to go.

Bella was in my mind while I waited for the driver to check all his mirrors and look both ways. I still hated leaving her alone at the school, but it was ridiculous to wait around for her, just lurking in the shadows—especially on a day like today when the shadows were slowly disappearing as the fog rolled away.

I sighed a little in relief when the van moved about an inch forward, but the relief was short lived when he slammed on his brakes and I was forced to slam on mine. "Oh come on!" I yelled, honking my horn in the process. "You have got to be kidding me!"

His hesitation was for a good reason. Just as I was about to plough around him I saw what was coming his way at full speed, preventing him from taking action and moving into the intersection—

A motorcycle going top speed blazed through the intersection and failed to yield to the stop signs. The sight made me laugh—it was funny to see two wild humans disregarding the numbers over their heads. They were just concerned with living in the moment, and it didn't matter that the driver of the bike would die wearing plaid and the shrimp holding onto him would be scarped off the pavement, the tight leather jacket failing as a buffer.

The car in front of me finally entered the intersection and turned right. I should have waved or given him the finger, but I had to get back home since the sun was slowly coming out of the clouds. I moved through the intersection and looked and drummed my fingers on the steering wheel—

_A shrimp holding onto plaid._

I froze in my seat when the thoughts finally registered.

I looked in my back mirror, but the bike was already long gone, not even a puff of dirt showing it had been anywhere.

"Damn it."

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

As soon as I got into the school after my little rendezvous with Maksim I started to panic. Tonight was the night—Friday night, the night with the full moon and the night to end all nights.

_Remember our deal, Cinderella._

How could I forget the deal?—it meant everything. My life depended on it—there were no options tonight. I either won or won—that was it. And if I didn't…Cinderella would have a whole new meaning. I wouldn't lose—couldn't. Ever. No. That would be…woah.

The idea of losing was making me go insane. Even my legs were jittery and I didn't know what to do with myself. I just stood in front of the trophy case and stared at 1989 girl's volleyball team for way to long—eyebrows were probably raising. And then when I looked over my shoulder, skinny-pony-tail-girl had her eyebrows on the top of her head, her gaze slowly traveling through the student body and slowly trailing my way—

I ran away—hey, I didn't want another cafeteria episode to play out again. That would be the cherry on top of a miserable day. I already had too many plans as it were: First I needed to get to La Push, then I needed to tell Jake I couldn't stay long for his party, and then I needed to ask him "Oh by the way, I need my bike back" like a jerk—oh, and the grand finale would be my ditching him for Maksim. Yeah, maybe I did have room somewhere in there for another episode of glaring girls and cat-fights. Yeah—no. That's why I ducked into the oh-so-popular bathroom and jumped into the last stall on he left, pulling the freshman trick of "Yeah I just have to use the bathroom and I'm never coming out ever again."

It was one of those high school moments, except I wasn't bringing a tray of food in to eat while I sat on top of the toilet seat. I just needed to hide, and hiding is what I did when I heard ponytail girl's voice come into the bathroom. I cringed and threw the toilet seat cover down and used it as a stepping stool to sit on the tank of the toilet. I wasn't a cool moment, but I was never the cool kid anyway—and I knew the trick had worked when I heard her voice and several other ones start to get animated.

"I don't know who the new girl thinks she is prancing around with him—it's absolutely revolting. I hope she gives him genital herpes." Ponytail girl's tone was harsh and upset. I could practically hear the spit flying from her mouth and see the slits of her eyes.

I wasn't shocked that gossip was going around. I saw the looks people gave me when I walked next to Maksim. I just didn't expect I'd ever be lucky enough to eavesdrop on my own party. That's why I put up my hood and leaned back on the cement wall—I might as well enjoy the show while I waited, trapped as it were.

"You don't think he's _sleeping with her_?" The new girl's entrance into the conversation came in without trying to mask the shock in her voice.

I rolled my eyes at her accusation. Girls were so stupid, and that's why all of them were sleeping with Maksim, I'm sure. I would never be one of them. I wasn't friends with him nor was I attracted to his dark gums and holes for eyes.

"Sleeping? Hell no. She's doing a lot more than that. That's probably why her jeans have so many holes in the knees."

All the girls burst out laughing.

I scraped the back of my teeth with my tongue—fuck I hated girls! They're so fucking annoying and I don't know how I ever let teenage whores make me feel uncomfortable. But how else were they supposed to make us losers feel—good? _Hell no_. They knew how to curl their eyelashes and steel from MAC counters—how _daring_ of them! I should bow down now. They're_ incredible_.

I swallowed and covered my knees with my hands, the skin on skin contact only adding wood to the fire. I wanted to burst through the stall and start some shit, but mostly, I just wanted to wait it out and pretend I hadn't heard a thing.

The girls continued doing their girly things, talking about how hot Maksim was without even trying to be and how I apparently looked like a meth-addict who used to be pretty. At least I had the pretty part, in a way.

"Her leather jacket isn't too bad—it's kind of nice in a vintage, classic way."

A hushed silence went over the group.

I smirked, adjusting my back on the wall before the lunch bell rang, signalling for students to return to their classes.

"I was just kidding," the voice said, trying to again her composure as the footsteps ran away from her. "It was a joke!" she screamed after them. Ponytail girl's voice couldn't be heard in the hustle and bustle of the crowds coming and going again, and after a few more visits from other girls entering and exiting the bathroom, all was silent.

I dropped my feet back onto the floor and opened the stall ever so slowly. I wasn't quick with my motions, just in case a stray girl had lost her pack and wanted to regroup with me. And actually, that's exactly what happened.

Just as I as about to step out into the open, a movement in the mirrors sent my gaze to the right, where a girl with a tight red bun and pink eyes stared franticly back at me

My chest dropped in relief. "Kathleen."

"Bella—I thought you were dead!" she gasped, grabbing onto her chest and moving towards me like she was going to hug me. "Where did you go! What did he do!—he's horrible!"

I backed away and quickly turned to the sinks and started washing my hands to avoid her. "Nowhere—it's all fine. I just had some _unfinished business_ to take care of."

Kathleen shook her head. "I'm scared for you Bella—you shouldn't be hanging around with scum like Maksim Smirnov. He's…scary…and you heard what Victoria and those girls said."

I smirked. _Victoria._ So ponytail girl had a name. Lovely. "What? That he's hot without trying? I don't think so."

"No! That he eats girls like you for breakfast!"

I turned the tap water off and stared at her face through the mirror. I hadn't heard that exact wording from the girls, but I knew what she meant. "You're right Kathleen—and that's why I won't be hanging out with him."

She sighed in relief. "You promise?"

I furrowed my brows in response. I didn't understand her concern. No one ever took concern over my life. It was a nice change but also didn't sit well in my stomach. "Kathleen," I turned and looked at her, "what's the big deal? He's all talk and I'm going to prove that."

Kathleen's eyes found the grime of the floor. Mine did too for a moment before they found her face again. She looked up at me finally. "My mum…she's very…_picky_…when it comes to what's best for me—she's my mum, so it's her right." Kathleen's eyes looked over my shoulder, no doubt at her own reflection. "Bella I want to be friends with you—do I _ever_—but it will be difficult if I can't prove to my mum why I should be."

I took a step back. "What?" Nothing she was saying was making sense. Her mum had nothing to do with my reputation or us being friends. "Oh does your mum make your schedule and tell you who to hang out with?" I started to laugh

Kathleen's eyes glared at me. "So? She's just looking out for me."

I laughed even harder. "Does she have tracking devices on you too? Should I expect her to swoop in any time now?"

Kathleen stuck her nose up at me.

"I'm kidding Kathleen."

She continued to glare at me.

"Kathleen." I wiped the smirk off my face. It took a lot, but I did it. "I'm sorry—but you have to see my side of it. It's kind of…weird. You should be able to be friends with who ever you want—it's only high school." _Only _high school. As if that was supposed to mean something to insecure people like us.

Surprisingly though, Kathleen swallowed every word. "You're right. It's just…difficult…you know…"

I didn't know. In fact, I knew nothing about motherly love and how to keep your head above the water without drowning in high school. But I didn't let her know that. "I do know," I lied. "But you need to be your own person. Your parents can't tie the bow on your life forever."

She nodded at my stupidness. "Yes…you're right. I don't know what I was saying—of course we can be friends."

I smiled. "Of course. I'm completely harmless. I'm through with Maksim and every other scumbag in this place. It's just you and me till the end," I half lied. It made me feel sick that I talked as if I didn't have plans for plans, when of course, there was still midnight doom coming my way. But after my date with Maksim later tonight, everything would be back to normal…whatever normal was for me these days, I'm not sure.

"Bella, you should meet my parents then."

And if the moment couldn't get more frustratingly awkward, there was Kathleen's awful attempt at fixing things. Leave it to her.

She saw my eyes caught in the headlights and tried to explain herself. "Come on—I would feel like I was lying to them if they didn't know who I was hanging out with at school."

I shook my head and covered my face with her hands. I wished I was in class staring at a chalk board. "Kathleen, we've been over this already—can't you just pretend you have no friends?"

She sighed. "I guess…but then that would be lying…and honestly, it would be nice to being someone home for once to show them that I'm not a complete waste of space."

And there it was. I had gone too far and forced her to throw herself into traffic and allow two buses to hit her in the process—I was driving one of them, apparently, and that's why I had to do the last thing I wanted to…I gave in. "Fine."

Her eyes lit up like Bambi's mum had come back to life. "Fine what?"

"I'll meet your damn parents."

"Really?" The enthusiasm in her voice made my ears cringe, but it made it all worth it, even though I knew I would regret this day.

"Yeah. I'll come over sometime—but don't go marking your calendar just yet."

"Well can I meet your parents too?"

I cocked my eyebrow and smiled before she caught her mistake.

Her hand flew up to her mouth after gasping. "Oh my God—Bella, I didn't mean it. I forgot—"

I cut her off with laughter. "Kathleen, it's fine."

"I'm so sorry." Her voice fell into the pit of my stomach.

"Stop it. You should be glad you don't have to meet any of my relatives. I imagine they'd be people your parents wouldn't want you meeting, and then we couldn't be friends."

She nodded. "Right." Her face still showed the regret for the misstep.

I decided to ease her mind away from the moment by changing the topic to school. "Well, are you going to classes today or what?"

She shook her head. "I don't think I possibly could. I know I've been missing a lot of school lately it seems, but I've got a lot on my mind and I'd rather just spend the day catching up on old work instead of getting new stuff piled on. I'm already ahead in all my classes anyway."

I nodded. "Yeah." I was going to say I was too, but Kathleen wasn't that stupid. She knew I wasn't strong in academics just by looking at me. And she was right.

"Well…what should we do then?"

Her eyes stared around the room while her mind searched for the answer. When her eyes suddenly lit up, I knew she was on to something. God only knows what she was thinking.

I gave in. "What is it now…" This girl was going to kill me one day.

Her eyes were still sparkling. "I know this certain place…it's really something…I could show you it, if you like."

I shrugged. I had to cover my sincere interest—yeah, Kathleen was suddenly interesting. "What kind of place is it?"

She smiled like a kid with a secret. But she didn't hold back for long. "It's the kind of place you have to get a little lost to find."

I watched the excitement in her eyes burn into my face. She really thought she had something good to show me—and honestly, I had nothing else to do but let my own interest spark. I stepped out of her way and pointed to the door. "Lead the way," I said, hiding a smile on my face. "I'm right behind you.

And that's exactly what she did.

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

Of all the days for it to be sunny, of course it had to be the day Bella was on the back of a motorcycle—Maksim's motorcycle, of all people too. I was beginning to think she was trying to do the exact opposite of what I was telling her—you couldn't be that naïve or dumb. But even though I couldn't go back to her school and force her to get into my car, there was one thing I could do.

I called Charlie.

"_What is it?"_ he asked, not even bothering to try and hide his irritated tone.

I sighed in irritation as well. "I don't know why I even bother with you, but I'd thought you'd like to know something that's concerned with Bella."

Charlie chuckled. _"And what would that be?"_

"That she's friends with Maksim Smirnov."

The line seemed to go dead.

"Hello?"

"_Are we talking about the same Smirnov boy from the other night?"_

"Yeah—but I wouldn't really call him a boy, but he's not much of a man—"

"_Shut up and tell what's going on."_

"Bella just passed me on the road and she was on the back of Maksim's motorcycle."

Silence.

"Charlie?"

"_I'm here."_

"Okay, well, doesn't that concern you?" I wanted him to explode. I wanted him to run out of the house and call for back up. I wanted him to do _something_. But I knew he couldn't. He was stuck like me in the shadows of the day while the rest of the world went on with its business.

"_Edward why the hell do you do this to me?"_

"What? I thought we're working together—to keep her clear of trouble." I tried to have an innocent tone, but it wasn't working.

"And what am I supposed to do with this? Run up to the school and rip her away from him?"

"Call someone up here—call the school, tell them she needs to come home."

He laughed so hard that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. _"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Edward."_ The sarcasm wasn't lost on me. _"And since we're swapping useless stories about Bella's life, I might as well tell you a little something too_." He was trying to hold himself together, but I knew he was mocking me now, torturing me for torturing him. "_I've heard some whisperings of a party later on tonight."_

"Are you asking me out, Charlie?" I could practically see the glare on his face.

"_No, but I know Bella might be asked out."_

There was silence on the phone. My end of the line this time.

"_You still there?"_ His voice had a hint of laughter to it.

"Yeah—well where's this _party_ at? I'll crash it and keep an eye on her."

"_That's the thing…"_ His voice trailed into nothing, draining me of patience.

"What is?"

"_It's in La Push."_

…

He laughed before hanging up.

-x-

**Bella Crossbones. **

_**4pm**_

The sky had drastically cleared since we had left at noon. I followed Kathleen out of the school parking lot and straight down the long Fork's back roads, letting her hum and drum along while I pondered about the night events headed my way. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I had barely even noticed that Kathleen had led us to a park with swings and picnic tables. We didn't even stop to enjoy the sights of the drying leaves that no longer held the Forks famous dew, and instead, walked even further through until a path led to another one and then I was depending on Kathleen for directions and footing.

Kathleen was in a good mood, thankfully. She was completely lost in her own head too, perfectly content in showing me the new sights and sounds of Fork's forest instead of fearing if I would get picked up by Maksim again.

She wasn't the only one with that thought. Even with the distance between the school and us, Maksim seemed to know his way around even the most dense areas of Forks, and that meant there was no telling when he could just pop up and surprise me again. Maybe I was irrational, but it still made me look over my shoulder every few minutes.

After the long walk, I noticed the forest actually starting to get a bit clearer, the trees actually separating and giving us room to breathe.

"Oh my God—we must be getting close now," I groaned. My legs were killing me and my body felt like I was carrying someone else on my back. I didn't know how Kathleen was still carrying her own green backpack. I still had no idea where the hell mine ended up.

"Now stop that," she said with a smile. "There's nothing better than a good hike. If it can't clear your mind, than you're a lunatic."

"Well, I'm beginning to feel like one for agreeing to come here—" I cut myself off when the trees finally threw us out into the open. I gasped, actually speechless at the sight before me.

_A cove. _Kathleen Wilkerson of Wilkerson Port had brought us to water. I should have seen it coming from a mile away, but I hadn't. Of course the kid would have sea legs—she didn't belong on land.

"Isn't it something?" Kathleen asked before leaping away from the solid ground beneath her feet and finding new footing on a large boulder popping out from the water. It was like a small island, and once Kathleen dropped her backpack on top of it, she was king of the rock.

I was the loser of the land…because there was no way I was going out there with her. If I did, before I could find my footing, she'd do something stupid and I'd be at the bottom of the lake, dead.

"It's something all right." I didn't know what to tell her. My fear for water was still as strong as ever—maybe even stronger. I didn't have the guts to hang over it like other nights before—no, I had lost that adrenaline rush, and now I was just as lame as ever.

"It's so pretty—I wish I lived on a lake. I've been coming here since I was a little girl." She sat down on the rock and gazed at the open space around her.

It was a private area, the water quite calm and exceptionally clear for being a dark, uninviting lake. But Kathleen seemed to ignore the lonely feel of the cove and looked past the sharp edges of the boulders surrounding the shore, and only pictured the soft edges of the water lapping up against the ridges of the rocks. It had to be deep water to be that dark—maybe a drop off of thirty feet. Kathleen seemed to pretend she was sitting beside of puddle.

I watched with wide eyes as she gazed all around her before she acknowledged me and pointed behind me. "See that tree?" she asked.

I looked up. "I see many trees, but yeah."

"See what's attached to it."

My eyes went in circles until they stopped on the so-called attachment. My stomach dropped when I saw the knotted and tattered rope swing attached to the thickest branch of a tree hanging over the water, gazing at its own reflection. This place was too much of a cliché. Any moment now and we'd be setting up camp and telling ghost stories before roasting marshmallows.

"I put that up there."

I stared up at the thick branch where the rope wrapped twice around the branch before falling through a noose, where the rest of the rope plummeted to the ground, fraying from years of use. I didn't know how Kathleen—the girl with the pink cardigan and matching eye shadow—had climbed up the tree and done it. So I asked her. "How'd you get up there?"

"I climbed." Her tone was a matter of fact. She was proud of herself. I couldn't see a resemblance between the Kathleen she knew and the Kathleen I saw in front of me. "I was nine and I was brave and that's all there was to it. I have a theory that all nine year olds are brave—reckless, but still brave. If I could be any age, I'd be nine forever." She was lost in her own thoughts after, her eyes scanning up the tree and up the rope that was tied off to the side now, just waiting for someone to release it and go for another joy ride, just like back in the day.

I wouldn't be that person.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

_Damn it. _"I'm pretty tired from the walk." I quickly sat down on the water's edge, preferring the ground over where she seemed to float on her stupid rock.

She shook her head. "Well at least tell me some of your secrets. This is a place of thoughts—of _thoughtless thoughts_, that is. You must speak your mind—let yourself free!" She held out her hands in a dramatic way, flapping them—like wings. Yes, Kathleen seemed to have wings. She was fleeting before my eyes, completely free of the constraints that usually kept her grounded. Here, in the wilderness, on her stupid rock, she was herself. Even my own little ignorant self could see the two different Kathleens—the shy, introverted, thoughtful Kathleen from school, and the complete opposite, the fearless, brave, _thoughtless_ Kathleen in front of me. Sometimes that was the biggest difference in people, and Kathleen was the best of both worlds. I didn't know where I stood on those grounds. I was too thoughtless to be thoughtful, but sometimes too thoughtful to be thoughtless. "Come on!" Kathleen screamed before throwing her head back. "What do you know for sure in life, right now, _right in this moment_? What do you have hidden away, what is eating at your soul, _this very second_?" The cove threw her voice back at me in an echo, the shivers on my spine feeling like the ants crawling over my arms, even though there were none. I was just hot under the layers of leather and fleece.

_God, I have such a headache._ I knew that for sure—must be the _concussions_. And I also knew that Kathleen Wilkerson was one scary kid. I wasn't going to tell her that though. I played dumb instead. "I don't know what you're saying." I picked up a twig and threw it in the water, the ripples disappearing too quickly and leaving me no choice but to look up at Kathleen.

Her eyes were wide in shock.

"Kathleen, I'm not much of a talker. You should know that by now. I like listening."

She shook her head. "That's not good enough."

I shrugged. "It's got to be. I don't know what to tell you."

As soon as the words left my mouth, her face told me I said something foolish. Then she was shaking her head and chuckling at me. I didn't care. It was interesting to see this side of her, one I didn't think even existed. I had judged her so hard—now she was the one shocking me. It felt good. "You don't know what to tell me…" She stood up and pulled her hair out of the tight bun. Red hair fell around her face before she tied it back into a much looser pony tail. She didn't look like herself. I didn't know what 'herself' even was anymore. "But not knowing what to say doesn't mean you'll say the wrong thing—there's no such thing as saying the wrong thing when you are speaking your mind in the cove."

I could have covered my face with my hands, but I chose to play along anyway. "Is that so?" The girl was killing me. If I had the guts, I'd jump across the water and push her off her damn rock. "Well, what do you want me to say then?"

Then _she_ was the one covering her face with her hands.

I laughed. "What is it now? I should be laughing at you! You've gone too long without listeners it seems—and now you're mad with power!" I picked up another rock and threw it into the water.

She dropped her hands away from her face to reveal a genuine smile. "That's probably true." The smile fell off her face and her eyes went to that place that put dread in my stomach. She was becoming thoughtful, and I was losing the Kathleen that tied the noose around the tree branch.

"Kathleen…"

Her eyes looked up at mine. "I don't think you realize what a good person you are, Bella."

I rolled my eyes. She was back to her old self. "Don't go there Kathleen. Let's get back on page—what was it you wanted me to say, something about what I knew for sure?"

She shook her head. "Forget that—you need to know how special you are, how different you are."

_Oh God, here we go…_I had to stop her. "Okay Kathleen, thank you, but I think I'd almost rather tell secrets now."

She shook her head. "How can I expect you to tell yours if I haven't told you one of mine?"

I didn't know the answer to that. I answered with silence instead, the crickets in the background—seriously—playing along.

Kathleen inhaled the largest gulp of oxygen before opening up her mouth and saying: "I'm seventeen years old and I've never been kissed."

Of all the secrets to have…of all the deepest and darkest tunnels in a person…that couldn't be the itchiest one begging to come out. I didn't believe it. That couldn't be a secret that made her uncomfortable—there had to be something else. "That's it?" I asked. "That's your secret?"

She looked down at her feet. "If you're going to make fun of me, do it now—it's allowed, as long as it's your true thoughts."

I laughed but not for the reasons she thought. "Kathleen, if you think your secret is lame, I've got you beat."

She started breathing that light air again, and I knew I could bring her back to being thoughtlessly carefree when I saw her bright eyes. "You're going to tell me one of _your_ secrets, Bella Crossbones?"

_One of my secrets. _Which one? Hell, there seemed to be too many. From my weird body issues, to my crazy stalkers, to how depressed I was—what _wasn't_ I keeping a secret? I decided to keep it simple and obvious—hell, how couldn't she already know why a body of water was separating us? I cleared my throat and chuckled humourlessly to myself before tugging nervously at the roots of my hair. The silence was so loud that I could hear the stickiness of the heat trapped in the leather of my jacket—why was I wearing it! It was too hot out for layers of clothes!

"Well?" she asked. "What's you're big secret."

And since I had no other choice, I took a leap of faith and told her my demise. "I can't swim."

Even though I didn't scream my secret the cove decided to pick up my voice and carry it back again in an echo, the silence after still rattling with one of my biggest fears in life. Kathleen did nothing to break that silence either. She just stared at me with a look that said she didn't understand what I was saying—like I was stupid or something. Hell, I hadn't laughed at her secret, now I wished I had of poked fun at her.

"Would you stop looking at me like that, you're making me uncomfortable. So much for thoughtless thoughts—more like judgmental thoughts." I stood up quickly, not sure what my intentions were.

"Wait, Bella—no, I just don't understand." She quickly jumped across the water and back onto the shore with me, moving around me to trap me with my back to the water. I became intimidated and scared in an instant.

I held up my hands. "Kathleen, I don't want to have to punch you, but if I feel threatened I might just do it."

She immediately backed up. "Sorry, I just don't know how you don't know how to swim—it's easy."

"Okay, I could say the same thing about you, _Miss Kissy_, but I took the high road, which you seem to know nothing about." I looked over my shoulder, nervous about the water, and then back at her. "Besides, I never said I didn't know _how_ to swim—of course I know how, I just _can't_."

I expected a sympathetic nod or maybe an apology. But no. Instead of extending an arm out to comfort me, Kathleen started jumping up and down in excitement.

"I'm going to go now," I said before stepping around her.

She was in front of me before I had made it five steps. "I can teach you."

I raised my eyebrows to keep from laughing in her face. "Teach me to what?"

She saw the mocking tone in my question but chose to answer anyway. "_To swim_. I can _teach you_. The cove is the perfect place. It's meant to be. Why else did this day happen? Think about!" She began to clap her hands and grin from ear to ear. "Bella! Listen to me! I can teach you!"

I shoved past her and tried to find the path that had led us to this ridiculous misfortune. Then I remembered that there was no path and that it had been Kathleen's lunatic brain that had gotten us to the stupid cove with the stupid rock full of stupid secrets, and by the time I figured out that I had nowhere to go, Kathleen was back next to me with her book bag in her hand and a smile on her face. "Stop looking at me like that," I told her. "I'm not getting in that water."

Kathleen disagreed. "Yeah you will. You just don't know it yet."

I stopped walking. "What does that mean?"

She pulled the bag onto her back. "Unfortunately, you're going to regret turning down my offer, because there's going to come a day where you wish you knew how to swim, and that day will be when the water is well over your head."

"Jesus Kathleen, how subtle of you."

"It's true—don't laugh it off, Bella. Knowing how to swim should be a life skill that everyone should know."

"I know how to swim—"

"Then prove it." Her eyes stayed on mine. "Turn back around, jump on that rope swing, and get in the water."

I laughed. "You're crazy."

"Maybe, but I know how to swim."

"Yeah, well I've kissed a boy before." God I felt stupid.

Then the light bulb went off. Her eyes peered at something over my shoulder, and then they were blazing into my own eyes. "Exactly Bella! You've kissed guys and I know how to swim!"

I stared blankly at her. "You're scaring me."

"Bella, we can help each other out. You need to teach me how to—"

"Kiss! No way! I'm not kissing you—"

"Of course not! Let me finish!" The excitement in her face was still scaring the shit out of me. "Teach me how to act around guys—teach me how to talk to them—and I'll teach you how to swim."

I laughed. "Hell no."

"Come on…" She held up her hands and began to beg. "Please!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to learn how to swim—I don't have the desire to."

She didn't believe me. "That's a lie. You're just scared."

The hairs on the back of my neck rose. "Scared? Me? As if."

She saw my discomfort, and therefore the truth. "You _are_ scared!" She had the stupid smirk on her face and I wanted to shake it off her face. "Fine—I got a new proposition for you."

I shrugged. "Let's hear it."

"The day I kiss a boy is the day you learn to swim."

I waited for the rest but it didn't come. "That's it?"

She nodded. "That's it."

I pulled my hands into the pockets of my jacket, my mind searching for something to grasp. It was too easy—I never saw that day coming for her.

"What do you say? Is it a deal worth shaking on?" the voice of the thoughtless Kathleen asked me.

And since I liked the odds and since I was through with looking like a scardy cat, I reached out and shook her hand. "Deal."

-x-

_**Edward Cullen**_

There was no hiding from the sun. It was out and bright and accusing guys like me of being a vampire. I knew I had to stay indoors, and since Bella was back in school and I knew I couldn't stick around in the daylight, that's what I did. I went home and bounced around the house, anxious, until I bumped into Alice on the second floor, sparkling near the windows.

"What do you want Edward?"

"You tell me—what's Bella up to?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Edward, you've got to leave the poor girl alone—she wants nothing to do with you."

"That's not true." I didn't believe that for a second. She liked me. _More _than liked me. She just had something else distracting her at the moment, and that was the same condition that distracted me all those years ago.

"Are you still stalking her? Please tell me you've stopped that."

I didn't answer her. I let her stare at me like I was an idiot, her eyes waiting and waiting for me to admit my strange behaviour. I didn't find it strange—I loved her.

"Edward! You're so creepy!"

"Alice…" I covered my face with my hands. "I don't know how else to act around her. She drives me insane." I dropped my hands away from my face. "I almost wish she didn't even have the gene—maybe then she'd be different and actually _notice_ me."

Alice's eyes dropped down a little. She felt sad for me. Great. Now I had a sympathetic sister on my hands. What good was that? "Well think about what would happen if she didn't have the gene…"

I raised my eyebrows. "Where are you going with this?"

"Come on…say you both fall in love…deeply and passionately in love…and you want to be together forever…but you're a vampire…"

"And she's human." My spirits weren't exactly lifted. Both scenarios were not ideal for falling in love. It wasn't fair. I wanted her so bad, yet there was the wall in front of us that prevented her from wanting me just as bad. "I already know this stuff—I've thought about it before, trust me."

"So what's your plan? How are you going to steal her heart away—because I see it happening. I just don't know why she would ever want to be around you—"

"Alice."

"—you're just so boring and dull—"

"Alice."

"—and sure you've got the looks but it's all about the personality—"

"Jesus Christ, Alice shut up."

She shrugged innocently before crossing her right leg over her left. "It's true. What happened to the old Edward?"

"The old Edward would be in jail right now."

"_Exactly_."

"Alice, I want her to fall for me, not be afraid of me. I'd have her running away from me if I started being the reckless again."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't be so sure. It's relatable to her—show her a side she knows, and she might just grab on and enjoy the ride."

_Grab on? Enjoy the ride? _God Alice didn't get it. I didn't come here for this kind of advice. I needed her insight into what exactly was going down in Forks tonight, and where Bella tied in. "Just let it rest and tell me what's headed Bella's way tonight."

Surprisingly, Alice finally gave in. She looked at me funny before closing her eyes and searching into her mind for the answer to my question. Her eyes quickly flashed opened when a big blank hole of nothing came into view.

"Not again," I groaned. "What does that even mean?"

Alice shook her head. "It's a mental block—I can't see a thing, just like last time."

"This is _not_ good." I was panicking. I, Edward Cullen, was panicking—over a girl.

Alice laughed. "Calm down, she was fine last time this happened and she'll be fine this time."

I didn't agree. "There's a party in La Push tonight—you think it has anything to do with that?"

Alice looked at me wearily. "No…it doesn't make sense…I'd see that. There's something preventing me from seeing her—"

I saw the click in her mind just as she did. It was so obvious now and I felt stupid for not even realizing our mistake. "Why didn't we figure that out before?" I stared into space as I saw the answer—it was the werewolves. We had always known their mental block—I should have put it together.

"She's going to be around werewolves…" Alice raised her eyebrows. "You got some competition there, lover boy?" She smiled at me when I turned a glare at her. "Come on, you know the visions I've seen. Spoiler alert—you get the girl in the end."

That wasn't necessarily true. "Umm spoiler alert—your visions are never that accurate."

She turned a nasty glare onto me. "You're a dick."

"Tell me something I don't know."

She looked at me wickedly. "Maybe you should use it to your advantage…" Her eyes raised when she saw my understanding. "Quit acting like her father—start with being a friend. Be a friend who wants to do the things she does instead of preventing her from doing them."

"Yeah? And then what? I'm her friend—that's not good enough."

"Got to start somewhere," she said. "Now get out of my room before I call Emmett up here and remind him you still haven't returned his bike."

"I could find that thing with my eyes closed."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She was smirking from ear to ear. "Good luck with that."

"What do you know?" I could tell by the way she wouldn't look me in the eye anymore and how she started counting backwards that she knew where it was. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because you're _Edward Cullen_—you don't _need _anything."

I glared at her before walking away from her.

I didn't care about that damn bike anyway. I had other things to worry about—

Like becoming _best buds_ with Bella Crossbones.

-x-

_**Bella Crossbones**_

**6pm**

After getting back to the park, Kathleen and I parted ways. It was easy enough—she said she couldn't be late for supper, and I said the same thing. Mine was more of a lie though. I didn't even know what time supper was anymore.

I didn't even make it a meter into the driveway before Charlie stepped off the porch and yelled my name into the darkening evening. "Bella Crossbones, where the hell have you been?"

I dragged my feet and pulled my hood up to cover my guilty expression. "No where," I lied. "Just hanging out with a friend."

"Maksim Smirnov?"

My legs seized up and I stopped dead in my tracks.

The look on his face was smug. He was proud of himself.

Apparently the man had eyes in the back of his head. How he had found out this stuff was beyond me. Small towns really did know how to talk. Plus, it didn't help that he was an officer of the law and Maks was no doubt someone he came across often. "Actually," I began, "I was with a girl named Kathleen."

He shook his head. "So you weren't on the back of a motorcycle today skipping class."

I chuckled. Couldn't he dig into me when I wasn't outside for the world to see? It was almost embarrassing—key word, _almost. _"I don't know who or where you get your facts from, but the only classes I skipped today were with Kathleen—and they were just gym and some other stupid one." I tried to move past him on the driveway but his arm quickly shot out and grabbed my upper arm, keeping me in front of him.

"Again—so you weren't on the back of a motorcycle today?"

"Well I didn't say that—"

"Bella you're going to kill yourself—"

"Then you'd be a free man." I tucked my hands into the leather jacket pockets. My right hand wrapped around thin, crinkled paper. I smiled, but Charlie took it the wrong way.

His eyes rolled in irritation. "I wouldn't foster you if I didn't want you here, Bella. I want to help you. That's why I got my license to do this—to help kids like you."

"What kind of kid am I?"

"The kind that needs help—I already said that."

"You're wrong."

He reached up and pulled my hood down. "Then quit hiding and start acting your age."

I would have stayed in the driveway, staring after him, but he stopped on the porch and looked over his shoulder at me. The look on his face told me he had almost given up with everything.

"I worry about a lot of things, you know, but I worry about you the most. I want you to be safe—I don't know how many times I have to tell you that. It's fine if you don't want to be at home locked away, but I need to know where you are so that if anything happens…I can get to you."

I stared at him for the longest time before actually feeling that weight in my stomach that told me I was an awful human being. That's why what I did next was totally not me—I was honest with him. "I'm going to Jacob's tonight."

He chuckled lowly. "_Of course_ you are."

-x-

"Why don't you just drive me?" I asked Charlie, putting my hands in my pocket. The money was still in there from the night Jake had won it at the forestry lot.

"I've got to get to work—I can't drive you."

Something was off. "You sure work a lot."

He shrugged. "I don't have a family—" He cut himself off. "Well—"

"I get it. I'd live to work too if I had no life."

He glared. "You know, I shouldn't even be letting you go tonight."

"Well then I shouldn't have asked you in the first place."

He shook his head but smiled. "I'm glad you did. This honesty thing…it's working."

"Not gonna lie—it's probably not going to last."

"Bella—"

"Hey, just being honest with you Charlie." I smiled after.

He left he kitchen and since I had nothing better to do, I followed him towards the front door. It was only eight o'clock but it was already dark out. "So how are you getting there tonight?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I might call Edward…" I waited for his reaction.

"I don't think he likes La Push."

I looked at him funny. "What's wrong with La Push that he doesn't like it?"

"Nothing—just some people don't like it. I bet he's one of them." Charlie turned his back to me. He was being weird.

"Well I wasn't planning on calling him anyway—just wanted to see your reaction."

He looked over his shoulder at me after tying one of his boots. "You're not funny."

I shrugged and zipped up my jacket. "I like to think I am."

"But seriously," he said, pulling on his coat. "How are you getting there tonight?"

"Jacob is on his way."

Charlie's eyes got thin. "And what time are you going to be home?"

"Before you."

"Bella I need an answer."

"I don't know…like late...2am late." I coughed to hide some of the damage, but it didn't work.

"That's a little late."

"You won't even miss me—I'll be home way before you. It's Friday night. Let me live a little."

He shook his head but I could tell me had given in.

"It's just a bonfire and you're the one who said I could go so get over it." I smiled when he looked at me nervously. "Jeez Charlie, you're turning into a dad."

His eyebrows raised before he shifted away from me. "Just be careful tonight," he said looking over his shoulder at me. His eyes trailed up my worn out jeans, leather jacket, and then stopped on my face.

I didn't even have a chance to say a word before he left. I just sat on the edge of the stairs and kept swallowing the nerves scratching the back of my throat. For twenty minutes I stared into space, thinking of everything from Jacob to Maksim…and Edward—

A shadow moved across the window threw my heart into my ribcage. I jumped up and peered through the side glass of the door, but only the front yard lit with tiny lamps came into view. I opened the door a foot and then slid through the crack. The night air swept over the skin on my face, and when I craned my neck towards the starry sky, the moon jumped out behind the roaming purple clouds—

"Bella."

My head snapped over to the familiar voice at the top of the driveway, where a dark figure stood with his hands in his jacket. He moved through the shadows with a laidback ease, and then stopped at the end of the walkway, the moonlight pouring over the zippers on his leather jacket, almost making them shine. He kept his head low.

"Edward—you scared me." I stepped off the porch and walked up to him, my hands in my own pocket, one hand wrapped around my gloves, the other around the money. I tried not to look guilty.

"Where's Charlie?" He looked at me for only a second before throwing his eyes up at the dark windows of the second floor.

"He's got gone to work—what are you doing here?"

He smiled and trailed his eyes onto my face. He looked at me like his presence was the most obvious thing. "I want to take you somewhere tonight."

I shook my head. "Edward—"

"Just hear me out first." He reached out and held the edge of my elbow. "I want to just have some fun tonight, get to know each other—"

"I'm going to have to stop you there because I can't."

He dropped his hand and his eyes looked nowhere near green. They were black and angry. "Come on, don't be stupid."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "What's the matter with you—you're being weird."

He laughed at that, but it wasn't funny. Edward had his shoulder squared and he looked like Maksim with his overconfident stance on things. "Don't tell me you're actually going to that party?"

"How do you know about that?"

He didn't get an answer. The sound of Jacobs truck pulling up to the end of the driveway cut him off. Jacob honked the horn, and then Edward took a step closer to me, his leather jacket touching my own. "Come on Bella," he whispered, "stay with me."

My eyes widened when he leaned forward and roughly lifted me up into his lips. It was almost painful the way he gripped my ribs and held me to his face, but for some reason, my eyes closed and I embraced him just as much as he embraced me.

The horn honked again, and he dropped me. "What do you say then?" he eyed me deviously, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk.

I couldn't focus—my mind had fogged over and I couldn't remember why I didn't want to be around him. I wanted him more than anything…except when I looked at the full moon…it was pulling me somewhere else. "Come with me," I told him irrationally. "It's going to be nuts in La Push tonight and—"

"I'm not going to La Push," he spat back. "It's not for me." The space became thick and heavy as he backed away from me. "Last chance, Crossbones...it's either me…" He looked over his shoulder at the truck idling at the top of the driveway, the headlights blaring into the scene. "Or him."

"Edward—"

"You choose me then?" He closed the distance and encased my waist with his arms.

I shook my head. "It's his birthday…"

He dropped his arms and backed away, his eyes on a spot over my shoulder, like he could see something I was missing out on. His eyes fell onto mine as he moved farther and farther away from me. "You have no idea what you're missing out on, Bella Crossbones." He stopped at the end of the path. "And the night you realize that is the night I'm no longer waiting in the shadows."

I moved towards him but he turned away and disappeared around the house and into the night. Jacob's headlights stayed on my form, and I had no other option but to walk towards them and into my evening plans.

The moon remained over my head, ticking away the night.

**-x-**

**A/N:** Sorry for the extremely late update. I've been sick for a couple months now. Not sure what's exactly wrong with me, but I'm feeling okay enough now. I have also had a lot of school work (just like the rest of you, I'm sure). I've had this chapter on my computer for a long time now because I had plans of adding the bike race to it like I promised, but it got to the point where this chapter was too long. I'm sorry for that—really, I am.

I want to say thank you for the reviews and messages reminding me about this story. It feels great seeing people are thinking about my story. I love those kinds of messages. It means a lot. This chapter wasn't anything special, but I wanted you guys to have at least something to read while you waited for the chapter everyone's been hoping for.

Next chapter I will try and get up quicker. It will be shorter than this one hopefully, and will have the bike race. (not that my word means anything anymore I guess).

Thanks again.

-THAT girl who

-x-


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